Cyclists using bike path in San Rafael near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Marin County.
BART train passing in front of an apartment complex built along Fruitvale Station.
Aerial view of a solar panel farm in the North Bay.

Shaping the Future, One Plan at a Time

Plan Bay Area is an ongoing regional planning initiative that shapes long-term policy and funding priorities, with the goal of creating a better future for all who call the Bay Area home.
A man rides his bike along a protected bike lane near North Berkeley BART Station.
Cyclist rides along bike path near North Berkeley BART Station.

A Shared Vision

The current plan — Plan Bay Area 2050+ — envisions a future where the Bay Area is affordable, connected, diverse, healthy and vibrant for all by 2050. This vision reflects the values and priorities that we heard through public engagement across all nine Bay Area counties.

Affordable

All Bay Area residents and workers have sufficient access to housing options they can afford.

Connected

An expanded, well-functioning, safe and multimodal transportation system connects the Bay Area.

Diverse

The Bay Area is an inclusive region where people from all backgrounds, abilities and ages can remain in place with access to the region’s assets and resources.

Healthy

The region’s natural resources, open space, clean water and clean air are conserved, and residents can live and travel safely.

Vibrant

The Bay Area is an innovation leader, creating job opportunities for all and ample fiscal resources for communities.

Making an Impact

Elected officials cut the ribbon to celebrate the launch of Caltrain's electrified service.

While many of the plan’s strategies will take decades to achieve, there are meaningful near-term implications for existing transportation funding. Each plan includes a Transportation Project List identifying the Bay Area projects and programs that will qualify for state and federal funding over the course of a plan’s four-year life cycle.

Turning the Vision into Reality

Each new plan identifies near-term milestones over a four- to five-year period that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and partners seek to reach, supporting progress toward realizing the plan's shared vision.

Homes in Santa Rosa.

The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority's Housing Preservation Loan Pilot preserves affordable housing and protects residents by helping mission-driven developers to acquire and rehabilitate residential properties, which are then converted to permanently affordable housing.

A tractor on a farm in Santa Clara County.

Priority Conservation Area grants support the Bay Area’s century-long commitment to parks, farmland, open spaces and ecosystems. 

A BART train approaching Orinda Station along Highway 24.

The study explored the potential of road pricing to help the Bay Area advance its mobility and climate goals, balancing the need to improve the region's affordability and equity outcomes.

Engaging the Community

The plan is developed for Bay Area communities, by Bay Area communities.

A cyclist places a sticky dot on a Plan Bay Area engagement activity board in San Jose.
MTC-ABAG staff facilitate a discussion group with technical partners next to a Transit 2050+ activity board.
A dog owner places its paw on a Plan Bay Area engagement activity board, indicating its interest in expanding parks and open space.

Plan Bay Area 2050+ engaged thousands of residents, dozens of community organizations and hundreds of public agencies to help inform the plan’s regional policy and funding priorities. MTC’s Public Participation Plan details the process for providing diverse and accessible opportunities for residents to contribute to the Plan Bay Area development process.

Plan Bay Area Over the Years

Every four years, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) develop an update to Plan Bay Area that reflects evolving priorities, growth patterns, funding availability and policy reform.