RTA accepting applications for Community Planning program
January 20, 2021
January 20, 2021
Joint Call for Planning Assistance open through Wednesday, February 3
The RTA is partnering with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to issue a joint Call for Planning Assistance for high and very high need communities.
Since 1998, the RTA has offered technical assistance to municipalities in the Chicago region to address local planning needs at the intersection of public transportation and land use. That assistance has translated into $23 million invested in more than 200 projects across six counties. Read the most recent Community Planning Implementation Report to learn more about the program’s impact.
CMAP and the RTA have separate technical assistance programs, but applicants simply need to apply once. The online application is available through Wednesday, February 3.
Every community in the region has felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and municipal budgets are strained now more than ever. In light of these challenges, the RTA is committed to offering support for communities that need it most. The RTA will accept applications in four different categories, described below. Learn more about the types of projects and timeline for applications on the RTA website.
High and very high need communities are defined based on four factors: population, median household income, tax base per capita, and percent of population located in an economically disconnected or disinvested area. Read more about the methodology for determining community cohorts in a CMAP Policy Brief.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Related Articles
With the Chicago area’s transit system facing a $771 million fiscal cliff starting in 2026, RTA released our Transforming Transit vision for sustainable fund...
May 8, 2025Chicago's transit system is facing a fiscal cliff in 2026 that will mean drastic service cuts across CTA, Metra, and Pace. The RTA is advocating for addition...
April 24, 2025In March, the RTA, CTA, Metra, and Pace detailed what 40% service cuts would look like if the Illinois legislature does not identify a funding solution for t...
April 10, 2025Public transit in the Chicago region has been underfunded for decades and the crisis we face today is not the first that has challenged the system. The curre...
April 10, 2025Every year, the RTA’s Local Planning department assists local governments throughout northeastern Illinois on projects that strengthen the region’s transit s...
April 8, 2025In the late fall of 2024, RTA’s Community Planning program in partnership with the Urban Land Institute supported two Development Dialogues held in Round Lak...
April 2, 2025