As a state-wide chapter of the national organization, CNU Illinois works to support national initiatives as well as to focus attention on local issues affecting our members. Whether it is through attending our expert lectures, excursions to relevant projects, social gatherings or other participatory events, our members have the opportunity to connect to the latest innovations within the practice. Consistent with the multi-disciplinary interests of our membership, our events frequently include ones developed in conjunction with local partners such as the Illinois Chapters of the US Green Building Council and the American Planning Association as well as the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Other programming partners have included the Center for Neighborhood Technology, DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development as well as numerous local municipalities. We likewise work closely with our affiliated student organization, the Illinois Chapter of the Students for the New Urbanism.
Each year our goal is to recognize local projects, locations and thought leaders that exemplify New Urbanism tenants and principles in practice in Illinois. In addition to hosting an annual series of events, in 2008 we established our first Illinois Charter Awards program to recognize New Urbanism achievements within Illinois and to encourage greater local participation in the national Charter Awards program. The CNU Illinois Charter Award program has run successfully every year since and in 2013 we bestowed our highest number of awards, a total of seven, selected from a record-setting number of entries spanning all seven of our award categories. Also in 2013, we began producing an annual printed journal to share original expert-written content within our local professional community.
Through our work, CNU Illinois seeks to foster dialog that advances the themes of the Congress for the New Urbanism while paying special attention to the local people and communities at the root of land-use related decisions. Through our outreach to members, partners and participants, we strive to strengthen the personal and professional ties within our community and in doing so, reinforce the network supporting sustainable development. We invite you to join us as a member or to pursue sponsorship opportunities to help support our work.