Heights Active Transportation Plan is 'Best of the Best'

Chicago Heights' active transportation plan recently won the Illinois chapter of the American Planning Association Award. 

The award recognizes the "best of the best in Illinois," according to Outreach Manager for the Active Transportation Alliance, Leslie Phemister. 

“This team has done amazing work on implementing a plan and I'm so very excited,” Phemister said.

The city began work on the plan in 2012, with a goal to create “improvements to the physical infrastructure, policies and programs that make it safer and more convenient for people to walk, bike and use transit in Chicago Heights.”

The plan has since come to fruition in events such as July's Open Streets, when the city closed traffic on Ashland Ave for residents to bike, walk, run and skate as they please.

“A lot of brainstorming and hard work went into coming up with the plan that would provide residents with more options to stay active and healthy,” Chicago Heights Mayor David Gonzalez said. “Succeeding in that plan is always the goal, but it’s a wonderful bonus for the city to receive an award for the effort.”

Of 42 nominations, the Heights is one of only two south suburban municipalities to win such an award.

You can read more about the award on the Chicago Heights' city website.