The future of the Bay Area is beginning to take shape. This month, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) advanced the final blueprint for Plan Bay Area 2050+ into the next critical phase: environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Designed to prepare the nine-county region for a growing population and evolving climate challenges, the plan envisions the addition of more than 900,000 new households and more than 1.3 million new jobs by 2050.
“The Final Blueprint incorporates updated strategies shaped by two years of extensive planning and public engagement,” a release from the organizations explains. “Outreach included over 40 pop-up workshops in Equity Priority Communities, three regionwide surveys, 22 partnerships with community-based organizations and a series of webinars and technical workshops. The resulting strategies direct more than $1.4 trillion in investments toward Bay Area transportation, housing, economic development and environmental resilience.”
Central to the plan are efforts to reduce car dependency. Thanks to major investments in public transit and active transportation infrastructure, the share of residents who drive to work — currently 58 percent — could fall below 50 percent.
The plan outlines “land use strategies that concentrate growth near existing transportation corridors.”
“By 2050, the share of people commuting via transit, biking or walking could more than double as a result of investments in safer and expanded transit services as well as active transportation infrastructure,” the release reads.
Households across the region could see a decrease of up to 12 percent in housing cost burden, currently among the highest in the nation.
“Households with low incomes could see a 42 percent reduction in their share of income spent on housing thanks to the plan’s strategies for affordable housing production, preservation and renter protections,” the release reads.
The plan also makes considerations for natural disasters in the region, retrofitting homes and businesses for wildfire and earthquake protections to prevent 25-50% percent of damages. Up to 95 percent of homes vulnerable to sea level rise could be protected, and the plan could see an increase in open space despite population growth.
A draft of the plan will be made available this fall, as well as a Draft Environmental Impact review and a Draft Implementation Plan with key factors through 2030. The plan also contains mechanisms to meet state regulations on carbon emissions.
“Subject to review and approval by the California Air Resources Board, the plan is expected to meet its statutory 2035 target of a 19 percent per capita reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from light-duty vehicles compared to 2005 levels,” the release reads. “Strategies such as investments in electric vehicles, roadway pricing, land use policy changes and investments in transit are expected to play a significant role in meeting GHG reduction goals.”