4 | The City of Rockford
culture and transportation, and in the early
20th Century, more furniture was produced
in this city than almost anywhere else in the
world. Over recent decades, so many of those
manufacturers have closed down, leaving va-
cant and deteriorating infrastructure to com-
plement diminishing quality of life spurred
by increasing unemployment, urban blight
and crime. In recent years, this once thriv-
ing region has secured recognition as one of
America’s “worst” places to live. Yet, at the
same time, the region has many advantages
working for it in terms of potential for retail
operators, or healthcare, and its location has
made for an important hub of activity in the
field of transportation and logistics. Beyond
this, and what may prove to be the commu-
nity’s greatest advantage, is a concerted ef-
fort to effect the changes that will result in a
revolutionary new Rockford Region.
Over the last two years, Rockford’s Met-
ropolitan Agency on Planning (RMAP) has
led an initiative now resulting in a regional
sustainability plan bolstered by the most
comprehensive analysis of social, economic
and environmental factors ever to take place
in this community, and quite possibly, any
community in the nation. RMAP Execu-
Steve Ernst
RMAP Executive Director
