Housing and Jobs

Housing and its connection to transportation and jobs is key to strong, prosperous communities. Plan Bay Area seeks to join these elements to meet the needs of our growing population.

Housing Need

Housing is an integral part of Plan Bay Area. The Sustainable Communities Strategy identifies areas sufficient to house all economic segments of the population over a 25-year period. For the years between 2014 and 2022, the state-mandated Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) specifies the number of housing units for which each jurisdiction must plan in order to meet the region’s housing need at all levels of affordability. To better connect plans for housing and transportation, the RHNA must be consistent with the development pattern in the Sustainable Communities Strategy. For more information about RHNA, visit the ABAG website.

Jobs and Housing Connection

Housing policies in Plan Bay Area will continue the planning efforts in recent years by local governments to prioritize more compact, mixed-use development that combines both residential and commercial uses and is located close to public transit, jobs, schools, shopping, parks, recreation and other amenities. To learn more about expected distribution of housing and jobs, review the "Where We Live, Where We Work" chapter of the adopted Plan Bay Area.