Plan Bay Area 2040 Adopted
Late last night, the boards of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Committee (MTC) voted to adopt Plan Bay Area 2040, a smart regional strategy to foster thriving neighborhoods across our nine-county region. We’re excited that the new plan affirms the groundbreaking vision of the original Plan Bay Area, adopted in 2013—guiding growth within our existing cities and towns to creating walkable communities for all close to jobs… Read More
Draft of New ‘Plan Bay Area’ Calls for More Sustainable, Inclusive Future
The draft of Plan Bay Area 2040 has just hit the streets. We’re excited that the new plan calls for guiding growth in ways that help our cities and towns become more sustainable, equitable, and economically prosperous and protects our iconic natural and agricultural lands from sprawl development. Now it’s time to make some refinements to the draft and get to work implementing its best components. A Plan Built on a Strong Foundation Plan… Read More
Plan Bay Area Update Calls for 30 Percent More Housing by 2040
The Bay Area is going to need housing to accommodate more than 800,000 additional households in the 30 years to 2040, says the latest update to Plan Bay Area, the controversial regional forecasting document that is used to assign housing targets to cities and counties.
Your Voice Is Needed for the Plan Bay Area Update
This summer, the Association of Bay Area Governments and Metropolitan Transportation Commission are hosting public workshops in all nine Bay Area counties to gather input for their just-released scenarios on how to update Plan Bay Area. Greenbelt Alliance will be at every workshop and we urge you to join us and make your voice heard.
MTC and ABAG Take Steps Toward Integration
For the last several months, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have been exploring taking unprecedented steps to better integrate the two agencies to create more effective, efficient regional planning for the Bay Area. At the ABAG General Assembly on April 21, Greenbelt Alliance CEO Jeremy Madsen was asked to bring the environmental perspective regarding this potential integration.
What Is Smart Growth?
Smart growth can make our region more climate-friendly, affordable, and economically competitive, while protecting our farms, forests, and watersheds.
Bay Area Gets Big Boost in Conservation Funding
On November 18, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to significantly increase its investment in conservation by expanding its first-in-the-nation Priority Conservation Area grant program by over 60% to $16.4 million. This is a major validation of the importance of safeguarding these lands from sprawl.
MTC and ABAG Propose Full Merger
This morning, the Bay Area’s two regional governmental agencies—the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG)—unanimously voted to pursue merging the two organizations into one. For years, Greenbelt Alliance has believed that the region would benefit from better integration of MTC and ABAG.
MTC and ABAG Integration up for Vote October 28
Those following the conversation around increased integration of our regional governmental agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), will be interested to hear that MTC just released a formal proposal for an October 28 vote to consolidate the MTC and ABAG planning departments into an Integrated Regional Planning Department under MTC’s authority.
Regional Integration at MTC and ABAG
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has proposed an MTC and ABAG merger of their planning departments. We support stronger integration between the Bay Area’s two largest agencies.