I-90 Regional City

okay, the name's a bit annoying..... Regional Vision Project I-90 Regional City, Rockford Area Council of 100 The Rockford Area Council of 100, a nonprofit economic development organization, retained Vandewalle & Associates to develop an economic vision for its region in northern Illinois which includes public and private sectors of Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties. The project was later expanded to include Rock County in southern Wisconsin. The Project Steering Committee, comprised of public and private sector leaders from the counties, charged Vandewalle & Associates with the following tasks: Identifying regional opportunities, Recommending a regional vision and specific projects, Building regional consensus, and Identifying potential funding sources. Identifying Regional Opportunities During the firm's initial analysis of the four counties, Vandewalle & Associates determined that the project area is strategically located between Chicago to the south, and Madison to the north, with Interstate-90 (I-90) connecting the three areas. Named the I-90 Regional City, it connects the more densely populated Chicago-Rockford-Madison urban corridor to the resource amenities of the central core of the Circle City-Dr. Philip Lewis' urban constellation that includes Chicago, the Quad Cities, Minneapolis, Green Bay, and Milwaukee. Within the I-90 Regional City is the I-90 Regional Midpoint, which includes the Cities of Janesville and Beloit, Wisconsin and Rockford, Illinois. With a historical skill set that includes manufacturing, agriculture, transshipment, and healthcare, the Regional Midpoint was firmly planted in the old economy. However, as economic trends shifted from these traditional economic drivers to those considered part of the new economy, the economic stability of the Regional Midpoint began to weaken. Recommending a Regional Vision and Specific Projects Vandewalle & Associates developed a series of recommendations for both the Regional Midpoint and the Regional City that encourage economic development initiatives, promote regional sustainable development patterns, and strengthen intergovernmental relationships. In addition, Vandewalle & Associates completed a model analysis of key areas to illustrate these recommendations. Recommendations include: Branding the I-90 corridor as the Regional City, Fueling economic growth within the Regional City, Encouraging the revitalization of downtowns and satellite cities, Developing existing urbanized areas, Planning and strategically directing growth, Capitalizing on existing utility infrastructure, Commencing comprehensive planning for concentrated investment districts, and Undertaking a regional rail initiative. Building Regional Consensus-Regional Leadership Network To begin building consensus among the many and varied interests within the Regional Midpoint, the Council of 100 created the Regional Leadership Network-a composite of over 1,000 local, county, and state elected officials and staff, as well as leaders from economic development organizations. Vandewalle & Associates developed a series of PowerPoint presentations that delineated project framework and recommendations. Identifying Potential Funding Sources In order to implement such sweeping recommendations, Vandewalle & Associates investigated a diverse group of potential funding sources including federal, state, and foundation grants. Implementation The Rockford Area Council of 100 has taken recommendations from the Regional Vision Project, and begun forming the strategic task forces to encourage implementation. Priority has been placed on extending commuter rail service to the Regional Midpoint (led by the cities of Belvidere and Rockford), on branding the region, and on establishing a foundation to fund and oversee ongoing implementation.>