Pop-Up Events Get People Talking About Bay Area's Future

A tabletop sign reading "It's Your Future, Bay Area" with the Plan Bay Area 2050 logo is in the foreground while a staff member speaks with members of the public in the background.
Credit
Noah Berger

Better public transit, more affordable housing and new routes for safe biking and walking were recurring themes raised by Bay Area residents at more than three dozen “pop-up” workshops held around the region this fall by MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments as part of the development of Plan Bay Area 2050, a long-range transportation and housing strategy that will help chart a course for the Bay Area's growth over the next 30 years.

MTC and ABAG received more than 3,000 comments from residents of all nine Bay Area counties at the October and November pop-up events, where participants were invited to comment on proposed strategies for improving mobility, meeting the Bay Area's housing challenges, sustaining economic growth and protecting the environment. Twenty-nine of the 37 pop-up events were held in lower-income neighborhoods. The most popular strategies include:

  • Modernizing Public Transit. Participants are interested in improving connections between transit agencies and to other modes; would like transit to be more reliable and have more frequent service; would like to see service expanded; and would like rail to be electrified.
  • Building Affordable Housing. Participants would like more housing built for working class families so they can work near where they live; they also are concerned about the Bay Area’s homeless population and finding effective ways to end homelessness; and they want housing near high-quality schools.
  • Additional Biking and Walking. Participants want a safer bike and pedestrian network; they want to expand biking infrastructure; and they highlight the connection between biking and walking to personal and environmental health.

All comments received at the Plan Bay Area 2050 pop-ups are posted on the Plan Bay Area 2050 website.

The next step in the development of Plan Bay Area 2050 is the preparation of a Blueprint that will analyze a set of transportation, housing, economic and environmental strategies within the fiscal constraints of the available revenue that reasonably can be expected over the next 30 years. With an anticipated adoption date of mid-2020, the Blueprint will serve as the foundation of Plan Bay Area 2050.

MTC and ABAG will produce a shorter-term Implementation Plan, along with an associated Environmental Impact Report, before finalizing Plan Bay Area 2050. The Implementation Plan will outline tangible actions that the agencies and their partners can advance to make the Bay Area more equitable and resilient in the future. MTC and ABAG both are expected to adopt the final Plan Bay Area 2050 in summer 2021. 

Learn more about Plan Bay Area 2050 and how to get involved in the process.