What Metropolitan Planning Council does

Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is an independent nonprofit planning and policy organization founded in 1934 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. MPC addresses built-environment issues in the seven-county northeastern Illinois region through a racial and economic justice lens, serving government entities, community-based organizations, residents, developers, and businesses. The organization's work is organized under three pillars — Thriving Communities, Equitable Infrastructure, and Just Public Systems — across six program areas: Housing, Development, Planning, Transportation, Environment, and Government. Its deliverables include policy research, advocacy, technical assistance to municipalities, and convening of cross-sector stakeholders, rather than commercial software or products.

MPC's core technology consists of policy research methodologies, data analysis frameworks, and collaborative planning processes, supplemented by a small number of proprietary mechanisms such as StormStore, a stormwater credit trading market for Cook County. The organization does not sell products or services; instead, it is funded through charitable donations, grants, and partnerships, publishing audited financial statements and 990 forms. Its go-to-market is community-led, convening diverse stakeholders to facilitate collaborative planning processes. MPC distributes its work through direct government engagement, free public resource dissemination via its website and resource library, and stakeholder convenings. The organization maintains a professional staff of 22+ named individuals across executive, director, manager, and associate levels, and operates from a LEED-Gold-certified office in Chicago's Marquette Building.

Over its 90-year history, MPC has influenced landmark regional outcomes including the creation of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) in 2006, the Lakefront Protection Ordinance of 1973, the Illinois Housing Cooperation Act, and countywide stormwater management legislation in 2005. The organization shifted toward explicit equity and anti-racism work following its 2015 Cost of Segregation study and subsequent Phase II roadmap in 2018. Current leadership includes President & CEO Dan Lurie, succeeding Darlene Oliver Hightower (2022), and an executive team comprising a COO, Chief Impact Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Communications Officer.

Name

Metropolitan Planning Council

Legal name

Metropolitan Planning Council

Website

https://metroplanning.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Metropolitan Planning Council is an independent nonprofit planning and policy organization founded in 1934 that conducts research, advocacy, and convening to advance equitable housing, transportation, and infrastructure across the seven-county Chicago region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Planning and Policy Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL), Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Regional planning policy
• Equitable housing advocacy
• Nonprofit urban planning
• Community development research
• Transportation infrastructure policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: MPC relies on generous contributions from donors and grant funding to drive their mission toward a more equitable Chicago region. The organization publishes audited financial statements and 990 forms publicly.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is an independent nonprofit planning and policy organization that delivers research-informed policy recommendations, advocacy, technical assistance, and stakeholder convening on built environment issues—housing, transportation, environment, development, planning, and government—across the seven-county Chicago metropolitan region. Its work is organized around three pillars: Thriving Communities, Equitable Infrastructure, and Just Public Systems, and is grounded in a racial and economic justice lens.

Product overview

Metropolitan Planning Council (MPC) is an independent planning and policy organization serving the Chicago region, not a software product company. MPC operates through three pillars—Thriving Communities, Equitable Infrastructure, and Just Public Systems—organized around six program areas: Housing, Development, Planning, Transportation, Environment, and Government. These programs deliver policy research, advocacy, and technical assistance rather than traditional software products. MPC also maintains a Resource Library containing publications, maps, videos, and testimony documents. The organization does not offer commercial software products, APIs, or SaaS platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thriving Communities MPC's pillar service line focused on ensuring all communities in the Chicago region have the resources they need to thrive, including accessible and affordable housing, healthy and resilient neighborhoods, and community-centered planning and engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Played key role in creating Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) in 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Urban InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership on Cost of Segregation study, examining racial segregation impacts on the Chicago region in terms of lost lives, income, and potential. Phase I released 2015, Phase II (Our Equitable Future Roadmap) released 2018.
• Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional planning partnership on initiatives including Homes for a Changing Region, collaborating on housing plans with municipalities across northeastern Illinois.
• Metropolitan Mayors CaucuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Homes for a Changing Region initiative, working with municipalities to create and update housing plans through online toolkit.
• CalumetCollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Calumet Stormwater Collaborative is a priority project of the CalumetCollaborative, which catalyzes innovative partnerships to advance a thriving Calumet region.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project examining transportation disconnect between workers and employers in Chicago, resulting in practical employer-sponsored solutions to alleviate commuting difficulties.
• Enterprise Community PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting events on housing issues including justice-involved housing during COVID-19 pandemic response.
• Latino Policy ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on policy research including reports on Latino workers, homeownership, and wealth accumulation in the Chicago region.
• Elevated ChicagomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) work, bringing together seven City of Chicago departments to practice advanced DEI principles.
• OpenlandsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership on water issues including sustainable water supply planning, hosting forums like 'Before the Wells Run Dry'.
• Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance / Friends of the Chicago RivermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for transitioning Calumet Stormwater Collaborative leadership into a permanent working group of the Greater Chicago Watershed Alliance.
• University of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer-Assisted Housing program partnership where 485 employees received credit counseling and 193 bought homes in nearby communities (2003-2009).
• Chicagoland Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to organize Business Leaders for Transportation coalition, successfully advocating for improved transportation funding and planning.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Metropolitan-Planning-Council/67686808955
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitanplanningcouncil
• Instagraminstagram.com/metroplanners
• Xx.com/metroplanners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan Planning Council