Strong leadership, bold ideas, and a shared responsibility to improve quality of life for the nearly 8.6 million people who call our region home are a few of the reasons why the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) presents the Regional Excellence Awards.

The 2023 awards program celebrates seven projects and leaders who exemplify the ingenuity and dedication that makes northeastern Illinois a better place to live, enjoy, work, and do business. Whether they’ve strengthened access to resources, redeveloped long vacant properties, or built on careers devoted to public service, the 2023 winners have shaped our region in outstanding ways.

Climate Ready Oak  - Regional Resilience Award 

The Village of Oak Park provided the region with a blueprint to address a changing climate when it approved Climate Ready Oak Park, a comprehensive sustainability and resilience plan for its own community.

Climate Ready Oak Park lays out ambitious goals with concrete commitments and actions to improve air quality locally and reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60 percent relative to 2019 levels by 2030. In addition, the plan strives to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The village’s Office of Sustainability led the development of the local plan, which was informed by input from the public. The village also prioritized equitable engagement — setting up avenues for two-way conversations with underrepresented groups and community members most impacted by a changing climate.