MTC-ABAG planning pop-up draws crowd, more events this week

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) officially kicked off a public outreach campaign over the weekend in an effort to develop Plan Bay Area 2050+, a focused update to Plan Bay Area 2050, a long-range regional plan adopted by the agencies in 2021. The parallel Transit 2050+, a look at Bay Area public transit in the post-pandemic world, was also a focus of the event.

Hundreds of people turned out in San Francisco last Sunday in the Mission District to partake in the pop-up event that asked residents to give their perspectives on the future of the Bay Area. The hands-on event had people speaking with multi-lingual planners, while several sticker boards were available for residents to indicate preferences on how they see the Bay Area's future.

During these sessions, MTC and ABAG are taking input from community members and partners to help inform the development of the 2050/node/31102.

More events are scheduled in the Bay Area through Sept. 8, including these three in the coming days:

Alameda County

Family First Night at Livermore Downtown Farmers Market

Thursday, August 3, 4 to 7 p.m.

Carnegie Park, 2155 Third Street

Livermore

Contra Costa County

Richmond Farmers Market

Friday, August 4, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

24th Street and Barrett Avenue

Richmond

Sonoma County

Sonoma County Fair

Saturday, August 5, 12 to 3 p.m.

1350 Bennett Valley Road

Santa Rosa

See details for more pop-up workshop dates and locations.

At the heart of Plan Bay Area 2050 are 35 strategies covering transportation, housing, the economy and the environment that together chart a course for making the Bay Area more affordable, connected, healthy and economically vibrant for all residents, as well as more resilient in the face of unexpected challenges. Plan Bay Area 2050+ is an opportunity to refine these strategies and to integrate lessons learned during, and in the wake of, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transit 2050+ aims to address the challenges posed by the Bay Area's fragmented transit system, and to account for rapid changes in commute patterns brought about by the pandemic and significant reductions in anticipated transit revenues through 2050.