Welcome

To view a pdf tutorial for using this site, right click the small icon to the left and open in new window.

Welcome!  This site presents the results of a collaborative effort between the Land Use Evolution and Impact Assessment Model (LEAM) laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP).  As part of CMAP's comprehensive planning initiative for Chicago and surrounding communities, known as GOTO 2040, we have examined a variety of strategies concerning the preservation of prime agricultural lands throughout the nine counties make up northeast Illinois (Cook, Dupage, Grundy, Kankakee, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will Counties).  Together with CMAP, we at LEAM have developed a range of potential approaches for agricultural preservation and examined them through LEAM simulations and a variety of impact assessment algorithms.    

The results presented here represent the output and analysis of LEAM computer simulations which project future patterns of human land use.  From this land use pattern, conclusions can be drawn as to the future state of agriculture in the region that might result from the policy choices we have examined.  Beyond affecting agriculture, these policies will have results which impact other important economic, ecological, and quality-of-life issues in the Chicago region.  We have thus attempted to assess the impacts of policy choices on water quality, green infrastructure, and other areas of public interest.  

The main sections of interest on this website will be the 'Simulations' and the 'Impacts' tabs.  Within 'Simulations', we introduce the preservation strategies we have developed together with CMAP.  This is also where the basic land use outputs of the LEAM model are presented.  Much of the resulting spatial data is presented in the form of interactive 'SimMaps' which allow the user to compare and explore data layers within a Google Maps-derived environment.  Under the 'Impacts' tab, these results are interpreted in terms of their effect on various environmental and economic variables.  Finally, the 'Reports' tab allows you to access written reports describing the methodology and results of this work.

For more information on the CMAP GOTO 2040 initiative, please visit www.goto2040.org.  For more information on LEAM in general, or on how to use SimMaps, please view our FAQ.