With the presidential election less than one month away, we’re taking stock of where the administration of Donald Trump and Mike Pence and a potential Joe Biden and Kamala Harris administration stand on issues of great importance to Regional Plan Association.

Because RPA thinks regionally and works across state and city boundaries, we always keep a close eye on federal policy. The coronavirus pandemic has sapped many sources of revenue for states, from property taxes to transit tickets, many are seeking different forms of relief from the federal government. As a result, now more than ever before in recent memory, an action at the federal level will determine what’s possible at the state and local level.

RPA’s main research areas include transportation, housing and neighborhood planning, energy and the environment, and governance. Each year, we identify a set of core campaigns within these research areas around which to focus our advocacy. We examined the candidates’ records and plans on our key 2020 campaigns; congestion pricing and fixing the subways; restoring public housing, decarbonizing the region, reducing segregation and inequality, and building a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River.

The comparison offered below does not represent the candidates’ full platform on these issues, but is instead a summary of key points.