Water street spaghetti pipes 2
Doing construction work in New York City’s streets is complicated and costly. RPA’s latest report examines obstacles and offers solutions for delivering a more modern, multidimensional right-of-way.
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1923 New York Times on the Regional Plan scan 2
For 100 years, Regional Plan Association has worked to create a more equitable, healthy, prosperous, and sustainable region. Join us as we reflect on the past and envision the future during our Centennial celebration - RPA 100.
celebrate the centennial

Our Region

RPA operates in the interconnected 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region.

Map of the Region RPA works in

3

States

31

Counties

782

Municipalities

23 million

Residents

13 thousand

Square Miles

Our Areas of Expertise

  • Energy & Environment

    Energy & Environment

    RPA’s Energy & Environment program helps the region to rise to the challenge of climate change through proactive regional planning, smart policy development, and advocacy for sustainable land use practices.

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  • Housing & Neighborhood Planning

    Housing & Neighborhood Planning

    RPA’s Housing & Neighborhood Planning program explores how to make the region affordable for everyone and builds collaborative local plans focused on healthy, inclusive, and well-designed communities.

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  • Transportation

    Transportation

    RPA’s Transportation program helps shape and strengthen the network of railways, roads, airports and ports that binds the region together and connect us to the rest of the world.

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  • Governance

    Governance

    RPA works to fix the institutions that are failing us by assisting and reforming the governments and agencies responsible for investments and policies that cut across the region’s three states and 782 municipalities.

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Ongoing Campaigns

Supporting New Mobility Patterns

RPA is researching and advocating for the infrastructure improvements we need to support COVID-19 recovery and the new mobility patterns it is bringing about.

Reducing Emissions & Adapting to Climate Change

RPA is researching and advocating for policies that ensure our region is both mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Investing in Communities

RPA is working to transform the tri-state area from one of the most segregated and least affordable regions to one of the least segregated and most affordable in order to serve our diverse and growing population.

Designing Streets for Recovery & Equity

RPA has long advocated for prioritizing people over cars. Amid the pandemic, we are building momentum for large-scale, permanent changes to promote transit, biking, cycling, and walking on streets.

Ensuring an Equitable COVID-19 Recovery

The New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region was the epicenter of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and RPA is working to ensure it becomes the epicenter of recovery.

Desegregating Connecticut

DesegregateCT is a program of Regional Plan Association and a coalition of neighbors and nonprofits advocating for more equitable, affordable, and environmentally-sustainable land use policies in Connecticut.
ADU image 2
An update on the status of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in New Jersey.
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Climate Adaptation DLAND Studio Regional Plan Association Fourth Plan
Passed by a wide margin, the historic Environmental Bond Measure will help New York State generate $4.2 billion for climate projects.
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Micromobility Bronx Scooter Pilot NYC DOT
How are micromobility options and autonomous vehicles emerging in the New York City region compared to the rest of the US?
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If planners are not careful and intentional, equity could become a buzzword instead of an outcome people experience as a result of our work.”

Spread City Cover
In the 1950s, some members of the Board of RPA considered its dissolution, on the grounds that its mission, the promotion of the First Regional Plan, was largely complete with the building of the Verrazano Bridge.
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Fourth regional plan cover
The Fourth Plan seeks to address issues including housing affordability, overburdened transportation infrastructure, and vulnerability to climate change—by addressing the underlying shortcomings in the region’s governance structures.
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