Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) Summer 2026
Welcome to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's (CMAP) 2026 Future Leaders in Planning (FLIP) program!
FLIP is a leadership development opportunity for high school and incoming college students to engage in a variety of planning topics through hands-on activities, speaker sessions, and site visits. FLIP is a FREE program where students will learn about the issues that shape our region and think of solutions throughout northeastern Illinois.
This page will provide you with a variety of tools and resources that will be useful throughout the program.
Session information: check out the Program curriculum section to the right for information on what we will be covering each day.
Introduce yourself: take the opportunity below to give a short introduction about yourself and learn about your fellow FLIPmates!
Where are you from: drop a pin on the map below to let your peers know where you will be commuting from.
Day 1 Summary
The first day of FLIP is complete! Day 1 introduced FLIPers to CMAP and provided an overview of their history and purpose of urban planning. Students learned about the program theme, Shaping Places, Shaping Futures, and explored what planning means at regional, county and local levels. Students also learned about accessibility, the Accessible Communities Program from CMAP planners Jaemi Jackson and Jules Voigt and participated in a walk audit through downtown Chicago. We also introduced the final project (see on the right-hand side) that students will present on the last day of the program.
Day 2 Summary
Day two of FLIP focused on climate change and its connection to regional planning. CMAP staff presented on CMAP's Climate Action and Transportation Resilience Improvement Plans and worked through prioritization and design activities. Students learned about trends in regional emissions and explored natural carbon sequestration strategies. FLIPers also learned about initiatives other students are engaged in to improve their local environments. We left the session with a call to action, and identified some ways to get involved, including incorporating climate action into daily life and encouraging climate action at school and in our communities. After lunch, we took a bus tour to Pilsen with Sherman 'Dilla' Thomas, who shared about Pilsen history, including community displacement downtown in favor of the UIC campus, and community culture, represented through public art, small businesses, housing, and more.
Day 3 Summary
During day 3 of FLIP, students heard from CMAP planners about how they use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and site-planning tools in their planning work, along with participating in a hands-on activity to create a development plan for parking lots outside Rate Field. After having lunch in Chinatown at Lee Wing Wah, students had conversations with the Teen Coalition of Chinatown and learned about the new development of The 78 and how it impacts the surrounding community. Debbie Liu, Chinatown Community Parter took us on a walking tour through the heart of Chinatown, telling us about the history and how CMAP has collaborated with Chinatown and helped create the Chinatown Community Vision Plan. To end day 3, students took the water taxi from Chinatown back to The Old Post Office!
Day 4 Summary
Day four of FLIP covered transportation planning, funding, and infrastructure. We started the day with a welcome from CMAP Executive Director Erin Aleman before getting into presentations: first up, CMAP’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), which helps prioritize key projects as part of the implementation of CMAP's long range vision plan, currently ON TO 2050. (Note: RTP is out for public comment until July 31!) Students also learned about sources of transportation funding, including vehicle registration fees, motor fuel taxes, and sales taxes and did an activity where they had to decide their own transportation funding plan. The day continued with a session on bike and pedestrian planning, where students reviewed traffic fatality statistics in northeastern Illinois and discussed design features that manage speeding and improve safety, such as roadway reconfigurations. Students then applied these concepts in an activity to design a street using a $100 budget.
The day closed with a tour of the Damen Green Line station, which provides service to the Near West Side of Chicago. Students learned that the station's design is inspired by Chicago's steel bridges, with green beams that match the Green Line and reflect the city's industrial history. A glass viewing bridge connects the platforms and offers skyline views, while large glass walls fill the station with natural light. It also features a glass mosaic by artist Folayemi Wilson celebrating the community, along with sustainable elements like a green roof, bird-friendly glass and natural ventilation. Remember to work on your final project over the weekend: Project details can be found on the right-hand side of this page. You’ll have some time on Tuesday to finalize your projects if needed.
Day 5 Summary
Coming soon!
