 | |
 31-county area[1] | |
| Abbreviation | RPA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1922 |
| Type | Non-Profit |
| Purpose | Regional planning |
| Headquarters | Manhattan,New York,New York |
Region served | New York metropolitan area USA |
President | Thomas K Wright |
| Staff | 30 |
| Website | rpa |
TheRegional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization founded in 1922. It focuses on recommendations to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of the 31-countyNew York–New Jersey–Connecticut metropolitan area.[1] Headquartered inNew York City, it has offices inPrinceton, New Jersey, andStamford, Connecticut.[2]
In 1922, the Russell Sage Foundation appointed the Committee on the Plan of New York and its Environs to create a comprehensive development plan for the region. The committee's first meeting included prominent figures such asHerbert Hoover,Charles Dyer Norton,Elihu Root, andEleanor Robson Belmont. The RPA was formally incorporated in 1929 and published the first Regional Plan, the first of its kind in the United States.
In 1930,George McAneny became RPA's first president. The plan proposed ambitious projects, including building a new city on theNew Jersey Meadowlands and demolishing blighted areas on theLower East Side. It also emphasized expanding public parks, identifying natural areas for acquisition such asGarret Mountain Reservation,Great Kills Park, and lands for thePalisades Interstate Park System.
The RPA's influence shaped much of the region's infrastructure. In the late 1930s, it successfully opposedRobert Moses's proposal for a bridge betweenBattery Park and Brooklyn, leading to the construction of theBrooklyn-Battery Tunnel instead. The region's highway network, including theGeorge Washington Bridge, theBelt Parkway, and theHenry Hudson Parkway, largely followed the RPA's plan. Its recommendation for a highway connecting theTriborough Bridge andGowanus Parkway was realized as theBrooklyn-Queens Expressway in 1964.
DuringWorld War II, the RPA addressed housing and transportation for the influx of workers in defense industries. After the war, as the suburban population doubled and new roads encouragedurban sprawl, the RPA advocated for development near transit and Manhattan, as well as for comprehensive community planning and improved building codes. In the late 1940s, it promoted the "neighborhood unit" concept, whose design principles were implemented in communities likeFresh Meadows, Queens, andRadburn, New Jersey.
In the 1950s, with many of the First Plan's goals achieved, the RPA shifted its focus to analyzing the impacts of suburban sprawl. Its 1960 study, "The Race for Open Space," led to the creation of numerous state and national parks, includingFire Island National Seashore andDelaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. A 1961 report on commuting called for federal aid for public transportation, influencing the conversion of the region's state highway departments into departments of transportation. As private railroads neared bankruptcy in 1964, the RPA advocated for a single regional transit agency; instead, multiple agencies, including theMetropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in 1965, were created.[3]
Released in 1968, the Second Regional Plan called for more federal investment in low-income communities, compact development to reduce sprawl, and protection of open space. The plan recommended developing regional centers outside Manhattan, a vision later implemented in cities likeJamaica, Queens;Paterson; andStamford.
In the 1980s, the RPA advocated for transforming the industrial Hudson County waterfront into a continuous public space. This vision led to theHudson River Waterfront Walkway, theHudson-Bergen Light Rail, and the restoration of cross-Hudson ferry service. The organization's advocacy also contributed to the preservation of natural and historic sites, including theGateway National Recreation Area,Breezy Point, Queens, and thePaterson Great Falls, which became a National Park in 2011.
During the 1970s, the RPA continued to advocate for multimodal transportation, fighting against highway expansions and promoting improved bus and transit networks. Its Emmy award-winning televised town hall series, CHOICES for '76, engaged the public on planning issues. The RPA's work influenced PresidentJimmy Carter's first National Urban Policy in 1978 and supported the formation ofNJ Transit in 1979.[3]
Published in 1996, the Third Regional Plan called for a seamless mass transit system, a network of protected natural resources, and the concentration of employment in urban centers. The plan proposed a regional express rail network, outlining new lines that combined abandoned rights-of-way with new construction, including theSecond Avenue Subway extension, a new cross-Hudson subway,East Side Access, and aBrooklyn-Queens-Bronx Triboro subway line.
Several of the plan's recommendations were realized in subsequent decades. In 1999, at the request ofCSX Transportation, the RPA recommended converting theHigh Line into a recreational trail. The plan's vision for a mixed-use development on Manhattan's Far West Side helped shape what becameHudson Yards. RPA's advocacy for converting theJames A. Farley Post Office into a transportation hub was realized with the opening ofMoynihan Train Hall in 2021.
Transportation funding was a major concern of the Third Plan. The RPA warned that both the MTA and NJ Transit were facing severe financial problems, and its reports analyzed the increasingly unsustainable cost of construction in New York City. In 2008, the RPA formed America 2050, a national planning initiative that focused on the 11megaregions of the United States. FollowingHurricane Sandy in 2012, the RPA developed plans for rebuilding the region with a focus on long-term community resilience.[3]
The Fourth Regional Plan, created in 2017, addressed housing affordability, aging transit infrastructure, and climate change vulnerabilities. The plan was built on four core values—equity, health, prosperity, and sustainability—and sought to make land use decisions more inclusive, expand economic opportunity, and invest in transportation for low-income residents.
Key initiatives stemming from the plan include advocating forcongestion pricing and launching coalitions to support major infrastructure projects, such as theGateway Program and the redevelopment ofPenn Station. Building on proposals from the Third Plan, the RPA successfully advocated in 2020 for a feasibility study for a rail line connecting Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the RPA focused on planning recovery efforts, including transit improvements and affordable housing options. The organization has also been a proponent ofOpen Streets and has worked to advance zoning and land-use reform in Connecticut.[3]
RPA coordinates the Build Gateway Now Coalition, a group of over 40 civic, labor, and business organizations that support theGateway Program.[4][5] In August 2025, reports revealed that RPA had accepted at least $850,000 fromAmtrak, the lead agency for the Gateway Program, for this advocacy work.[5] Tax records later showed that Amtrak had contracted RPA for approximately $2.3 million since 2017.[6]
The arrangement drew significant criticism, with theNew York Daily News editorial board labeling RPA a "paid lobbyist" for Amtrak and asserting that its advocacy could no longer be considered independent.[4] Critics noted that RPA representatives had testified in favor of the project at public meetings without disclosing the direct funding from Amtrak.[4][7] While government watchdog Reinvent Albany noted the funding was properly reported in annual financial reports, others argued the lack of upfront disclosure on specific reports and testimony eroded public trust.[6]
The controversy centered on a perceived shift in RPA's advocacy. The 1996 Third Regional Plan, for instance, criticized the "absence of through-services" and lamented that the region's commuter railroads were not a "true network."[8] Critics argued that after the Amtrak funding began, RPA's messaging shifted to a phased approach that prioritized the immediate construction of the Gateway tunnels and a physical expansion of Penn Station—a plan that aligned with Amtrak's goals but delayed a more unified network.[9][10]
A key point of contention was RPA's proposal to demolish Block 780, a city block south of Penn Station, to build a new terminal hub.[6] The plan was opposed by community groups, who noted that major RPA donorVornado Realty Trust owned much of the surrounding property that would be opened for redevelopment.[6]
Concerns over conflicts of interest were amplified by personnel connections. Amtrak's board chair, Anthony Coscia, simultaneously sits on RPA's board, and RPA President Tom Wright co-chairs a railroad-appointed Penn Station working group.[6] Wright's assertion in an August 2025 interview that RPA "does not support a southern expansion of the terminal,"[5] was contradicted by the organization's own 2020 report, "The Case for Penn South," which he co-authored.[11]
In 2024, after the former director of RPA's Build Gateway Now Coalition became the Associate Director of the state-authorized watchdog group Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC), PCAC announced it had joined the Amtrak-funded coalition.[12]
After public criticism, RPA reversed its position on demolishing Block 780.[6] In August 2025, federal and Amtrak officials announced they would work within the station's existing footprint and study through-running options, a move seen as a setback for the expansion plan.[6]
The RPA program represents a philosophy of planning described by historian Robert Fishman as "metropolitanism," associated with theChicago School of Sociology. It promotes large-scale industrial centers and the concentration of population rather than decentralized development.
RPA's strategic plans have proposed numerous ideas and investments that have become major public works, economic development, and open space projects, including:
Notes
It has also been my hope that a strip of this land of adequate width might ultimately be developed as a parkway, along the general lines.
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