Some claim that Plan Bay Area is part of an ill-intended global agenda to force lifestyle changes — is this true?

Plan Bay Area is a home-grown effort to plan for future transportation and land use needs. Most of us who live here are accustomed to saying that we live in “The Bay Area.” That simple phrase speaks volumes. It shows we already share a regional identity. We have a history of joining together on issues that cross jurisdictional lines. Notable examples include working to save San Francisco Bay, set aside land for a vast system of interconnected parks and open space, and pioneer a regional rapid rail system. All these efforts have shaped our collective identity and put us on the map as a region. Our first long-range comprehensive regional plan was completed in 1964 by ABAG. MTC has been adopting and updating regional transportation plans since 1971, the most recent of which was adopted in 2009. Plan Bay Area is a work in progress that will be updated every four years. While it is done in part to meet state and federal laws that require metropolitan areas to plan for regional needs, the Plan furthers a very important conversation in the Bay Area about the quality of life we enjoy today, and how to leave a better region for future generations.