Conference participants attend a mobile workshop exploring the history and planned design renovations of Chicago’s Union Station. Credit: SUMC

Introduction

In October 2025, over 800 representatives from municipal governments, metropolitan planning organizations, nonprofits, and planning and engineering firms from across the State of Illinois gathered in Chicago for the American Planning Association Illinois Chapter (APA-IL) 2025 State Conference. The 3-day conference offered a forum for urban planners from around the state to present on their plans and projects, connect with likeminded planners, and learn from each other. 

Francesca Lewis (Program Associate) and Hani Shamat (Program Manager) represented the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) at the conference to present some of SUMC’s recent work and learn more about the state of the planning industry.

The Value of Capacity Building to Support Local Projects: Lessons Learned from the USDOT Thriving Communities Program in Decatur, IL and Waukegan, IL panelists: (from left to right) Stephen Ostrander (CMAP), Sam Greene (City of Waukegan), Scott Goldstein (Teska Associates, Inc.), Francesca Lewis (SUMC). Credit: SUMC

Francesca Lewis moderated a panel discussion entitled The Value of Capacity Building to Support Local Projects: Lessons Learned from the USDOT Thriving Communities Program in Decatur, IL and Waukegan, IL, with representatives from the City of Waukegan, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), and Teska Associates as panelists. The session highlighted the impacts of SUMC’s capacity building work in these Illinois cities through the US Department of Transportation’s Thriving Communities Program (TCP), a capacity building program that funded technical assistance to under-resourced communities around the country. SUMC worked on a team of Capacity Builders to support Waukegan and Decatur, as well as other cities around the country, with community engagement, identifying and pursuing funding opportunities, and moving major transportation and infrastructure projects forward.

Sam Greene (City of Waukegan) and Stephen Ostrander (CMAP) represented the City of Waukegan in Northeast Illinois, and discussed the City’s efforts to improve community engagement and further some of its long standing transportation initiatives, including plans to reimagine the Amstutz Expressway, a 5.8 mile freeway bisecting the city, and the Northern Lakeshore Trail Connectivity Plan, a regional plan for an interconnected trail network.

Scott Goldstein (Teska Associates) was a key partner for TCP work in Decatur in Central Illinois, and spoke on efforts to revitalize the city and foster new opportunities for its residents in the wake of a loss of a major manufacturing facility and population decline in the early 2000s. Through TCP, the City of Decatur advanced a program to redesign the Jasper Corridor, a major thoroughfare in the city, and to develop a Learn and Earn a Bike program for local children.

For more information on these projects, see TCP case studies on Waukegan and Decatur on the Mobility Learning Center.

A few key takeaways from the conference

The power of storytelling

As urban planners work to activate communities and reshape the way people engage with spaces, getting people involved in the process is critical. A key theme throughout the conference was using storytelling as a way to engage, inform, and inspire communities. The conference’s keynote session was a presentation and fireside chat with Margaret Chandra Kerrison, a designer with a storied career of creating immersive experiences and promoting narrative placemaking at theme parks, museums, and public spaces around the world. Kerrison spoke on the power of storytelling in placemaking and the long-lasting experiences that a well-designed space can elicit. While data and statistics are important and necessary for planning, being able to tell a compelling story can be what turns a plan into a reality. 

Attendees at the keynote session with Margaret Chandra Kerrison. Credit: SUMC

Futureproofing cities

Incorporating sustainability into planning and implementation efforts is key to supporting communities to adapt to climate change, reduce emissions and build resiliency. Two sessions focused on strategies for planners to advance decarbonization. A panel featuring representatives from Farr Associates, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the City of Aurora, and the Village of Oak Park, focused on elements like comprehensive plans, zoning, and RFPs as effective tools for planners to accelerate decarbonization. Another session featuring representatives from the State of Illinois, the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, the City of Rolling Meadows, and the Urban Land Institute offered state, regional and local perspectives on topics such as climate action planning, statewide financing and local initiatives supporting a low carbon future. Additionally, a panel discussion featuring representatives from the City of Chicago, the City of Evanston, the Illinois Green Alliance and Baumann Consulting discussed how Chicagoland  cities are enhancing resilience and working towards long-term sustainability goals through building performance standards, advanced energy codes, and other tools. Sustainability and resilience are increasingly important considerations for planners as the impacts of climate change become more and more pronounced. 

Reclaiming space

Reclaiming space is a core element of urban planning that can transform overlooked or abandoned infrastructure into new places of connection, recreation and growth. Two trail projects in Chicago are transforming abandoned and underutilized railway corridors into vibrant assets of the community. One session spotlighted representatives from the Bronzeville Trail Task Force and Grow Greater Englewood, both supporting projects illustrating the power of collaboration and local vision to convert vacated corridors into meaningful gathering spaces that promote health, mobility and economic opportunity. 

Conclusion

The 2025 APA-IL Conference showcased the energy, collaboration, and innovation that drives planning efforts across Illinois. From strategies to decarbonize and futureproof cities, to reimaging underutilized infrastructure and uplifting community voices through storytelling, the three day event demonstrated how planners are shaping our communities to be more resilient, equitable, and connected places. The conference was an opportunity for SUMC to share the value of capacity building programs in strengthening communities and the lessons learned from the USDOT Thriving Communities Program, as well as to learn from peers leading various planning initiatives across the state. The conversations throughout the event highlight the value of knowledge sharing and collaboration to move projects forward and create lasting impacts.

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