A local legislator is asking for a plan to consolidate the region’s 27 separate transit agencies to improve financial stability and streamline service for riders.

According to an article by Megan Fan Munce in the San Francisco Chronicle, “A Bay Area legislator proposed legislation Wednesday to combine all of the region’s 27 public transit agencies into one in the wake of ongoing financial challenges to public transportation.”
The legislation asks the California State Transportation Agency to “develop a plan to consolidate all transit agencies that are located within the geographic jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.” This follows a 2021 Bay Area Transit Transformation Plan developed by a Metropolitan Transportation Commission task force that includes recommendations to synchronize schedule changes and standardize maps across systems.
The idea has been around since at least 2013, when a UC Berkeley student survey found support for consolidation among transit officials. “In MTC polling conducted in March, 55% of respondents designated merging BART and Caltrain as a priority. Just over 60% said creating one regional agency responsible for setting fares, coordinating service schedules and creating consistent maps was a priority.”
FULL STORY: Bay Area legislator proposes combining all 27 local public transit agencies

Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.

EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.

BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.

The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland