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

About

About RPA

RPA is an independent non-profit civic organization that develops and promotes ideas to improve the economic health, environmental resiliency, equity, and quality of life of the New York metropolitan area. RPA conducts research on the environment, land use, and good governance, and advises cities, communities, and public agencies.

For 100 years, Regional Plan Association has been an indispensable source of ideas for policy makers and opinion shapers across the tri-state region.

Some of the region’s most significant public works, economic development initiatives, and open space projects have their roots in RPA ideas and initiatives - from the location of the George Washington Bridge, to the revitalization of downtown Brooklyn, Stamford, and Newark, to the preservation of open space and development of parks such as the Palisades, Governors Island, and Gateway National Recreation Area. RPA has pursued these goals by conducting independent research, planning, advocacy and vigorous public engagement efforts. Every year, leaders and professionals from government, business, and civic groups debate the region’s most pressing challenges at RPA’s spring conference, the Assembly. A cornerstone of our work is the development of long-range plans and policies to guide the region’s growth. Since the 1920s, RPA has produced four landmark plans for the region. The most recent was released in November 2017.

But how did we get started?

In 1922, some of the region’s most prominent urban planning experts and civic leaders joined forces to survey, analyze, and develop a comprehensive plan to make the region a better place to work and live.

This initiative was the first to recognize a New York metropolitan region – one that encompassed New Jersey and Connecticut. It led to the publication in 1929 of the first volume of ​“Regional Plan of New York and Its Environs,” the first long-range plan for the New York metropolitan area, as well as the formation of Regional Plan Association, an organization tasked with implementing the plan.

While developing long-range regional plans remains a key part of the organization’s role, the plans represent only a fraction of RPA’s work. Since the 1920s, RPA has conducted groundbreaking research on issues such as land use, transportation, the environment, and economic development. It also leads advocacy campaigns in support of the organization’s goal of fostering a thriving, diverse, and environmentally sustainable region.