The City of Carbondale, Illinois, is updating its Comprehensive Plan to cover 2025 to 2040.

Carbondale is a small but vibrant town of 22,000 in Southern Illinois. The town is the home of Southern Illinois University, with an enrollment of just over 11,000 students. Surrounded by steep rolling hills, sandstone and limestone bluffs, lakes, the Shawnee National Forest, and two state parks, and located within one of the most biodiverse regions in the nation, Carbondale hardly fits the description of a typical Midwestern town. The community strives to serve as a regional center for arts, entertainment, healthcare, employment, retail, and education.

Community engagement is a top priority for Carbondale's active, engaged residency. City staff will look to consultants for recommendations of how best to work with community organizations to gather public input and keep interested community members informed throughout the planning process. City staff expresses specific interest in hands-on community engagement practices that bypass language barriers and varying levels of ability.

The City is also interested in exploring the feasibility of the following:

• Community Engagement Plan
• Comp Plan Implementation Guide for Decision-makers
• Unified Development Code

The complete RFQ, along with submittal instructions, can be found here: https://www.explorecarbondale.com/Bids.aspx?BidID=151