Regional Plan Association works toward a better future for the tri-state region
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Featured Event

Celebrate the Tri-State

Annual RPA Benefit
On Monday, January 25 we will be gathering virtually to celebrate people and projects that represent the best of our region. Be a part of the celebration!
learn more and register

Recent News

AM New York

Op-Ed | The fight against COVID-19 – in the palm of your hand

The New York Times

New Train Hall Opens at Penn Station, Echoing Building’s Former Glory

CNN Business

Mayor Pete had a fleet of 47 buses. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will have a budget of $87 billion

Wall Street Journal

New York City’s Mayoral Primaries Set for June

New York Times

Housing Fights to Be Heard in the Mayoral Race

NJ.com

NYC congestion pricing plan on hold, to the relief of some Jersey drivers

NJ.com

More lanes, reduce overcrowding. Plan outlines how to make N.J. bus service better.

Forbes

New York’s Covid Comeback Must Target Equitable Growth

NorthJersey.com

Penn Station was plagued with problems before COVID. Is the pandemic the time to fix them?

New York Business Journal

New York nonprofits launch ​‘inclusive growth’ business initiative

Bloomberg

NYC-Area Mass Transit Poised to Benefit Under Amtrak Fan Biden

NJ.com

Finally, a breakthrough on the Hudson Tunnel with Biden

Washington Post

8 years later, Sandy still costing transit systems billions

Newsday

LI housing costs 24% more than in 2000, but we’re earning 1.6% less, report says

Curbed

Where Could the City Squeeze New Housing Into Soho?

Our Region

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

Map of the Region RPA works in

Region at a Glance

3

States

31

Counties

782

Municipalities

23 million

Residents

13 thousand

Square Miles

read about our region

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

COVID-19 Recovery

We’re working to identify who’s vulnerable to COVID-19 impacts including homelessness and loss of income, how to navigate the rent crisis, rescue public transit systems, and ensure an equitable recovery for the region.

Congestion Pricing and Fixing the Subways

Congestion pricing offers an opportunity to unclog traffic, fund and improve public transit, reduce air pollution, and achieve better public health outcomes, and RPA is working to make sure we get this policy right.

Restore the Promise of Public Housing

RPA is proposing strategies to increase funding and improve management for NYCHA, and we’re building the political and civic will necessary to implement them.

Transition to a Decarbonized Region

RPA advocates for policies and investments that can help our region hit ambitious climate targets without triggering other crises of equity, affordability or economic decline.

Reducing Segregation & Inequality Across the Region

Our region is one of the most segregated parts of the United States and has some of the highest levels of income inequality. RPA analyzes the scope of these structural inequities and works with partners to address them.

The Nation’s Most Urgent Infrastructure Project

Build Gateway Now is a coalition of civic, labor and business leaders building support for the construction of a new rail tunnel to connect New York, New Jersey, and the entire Northeast Corridor.
New York City New York USA Empire State Building 2012 6448

Event Highlight

Exploring President Biden’s Urban Agenda

How will the Biden Administration approach urban policy and planning? The leaders of the nation’s foremost planning organizations will discuss what the shift in leadership means for the future of US cities.

Speakers

MarySue Barret
President, Metropolitan Planning Council
Calvin Gladney (Moderator)
President & CEO, Smart Growth America
Alicia John-Baptiste
President & CEO, SPUR
Tom Wright
President & CEO, Regional Plan Association
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Recent Reports

Dec 2020
in Housing & Neighborhood Planning
RPA Annual Report, FY2020
Nov 2020
in Transportation
Better Service Improving the Bus Network in New Jersey
Oct 2020
in Housing & Neighborhood Planning
Long Island Housing Data Profiles A visual guide to better understand Long Island’s housing challenges and opportunities
Oct 2020
in Housing & Neighborhood Planning
New York’s Next Comeback
Police In Bike Lane Cropped

News Release

Equity On Our Streets: A Transportation-Led Recovery Agenda for Candidates
RPA joins transit advocates to release an equity-based transportation agenda for NYC mayoral candidates.
read more
Tunnel Construction

RPA Lab

Infrastructure Priorities for Biden's First 100 Days
RPA compiled a list of projects and regulatory actions we recommend the Biden administration prioritize immediately.
read more
Zoned One Family Lefferts isolated Be My Neighbor Report2

RPA Lab

Five New York City Neighborhoods to Upzone for Affordable Housing
Now that New York City is rezoning for affordable housing in SoHo/NoHo, here are the five neighborhoods the city should target next.
read more

The Latest

Jan 2021
in News Release
Statement on Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Infrastructure Announcement
Jan 2021
in Testimony
Comments on New York City’s Proposed Racial Disparity Report
Dec 2020
in Testimony
Testimony at MTA Fare and Toll Hearing
Dec 2020
in News Release
Statement on NJ Transit Positive Train Control Certification

We cannot function as a region without our public transit network.”

Slevin Kate

Kate Slevin

Senior Vice President, State Programs & Advocacy

read more from WIRED view full bio
RPA Plan2 Urban Design Manhattan 34 Access Tree Diagram

From the Timeline

Urban Design Manhattan

1969
“Urban Design Manhattan” recommended design principles for central business districts. Major elements of the report included opening subway stations to light and air, as the Citicorp Plaza did in Manhattan, and concentrating development above and adjacent to subway stations.
view the timeline
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.
find out more
Public Service in Older Cities 1969 Paterson NJ

From the Report Library

Public Service in Older Cities

1969
Investment in public services devoted to improving conditions for lower-income people should be more than doubled in order to break the cycle of poverty, RPA wrote in this report of the Second Regional Plan. This report proposed a fiscal strategy by which the nation could meet its responsibilities to lower-income citizens.
read the report

Total Reports

392

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