The Fourth Regional Plan Plots a Course for the New York Region

The Regional Plan Association released its eagerly anticipated Fourth Regional Plan on Thursday.

2 minute read

December 1, 2017, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


New York City

gmstockstudio / Shutterstock

The Regional Plan Association (RPA), an urban research and advocacy organization working in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region, has released its Fourth Regional Plan, following previous iterations released in 1929, the 1960s, and 1996.

The Fourth Regional Plan, subtitled "Making the Region Work for All of Us," pursues four values (Equity, Health, Prosperity, and Sustainability) in four action areas (Fix the institutions that are failing us, Create a dynamic, customer-oriented transportation network, Rise to the challenge of climate change, and Make the region affordable for everyone).

Several publications picked up on the news of the Fourth Regional Plan, usually focusing on the details of one of the four action plans. Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan writes for Fast Company about the plan's focus on governance. According to Campbell-Dollaghan, it's the first of the four plans to focus so specifically on government.

Writing for Streetsblog NYC, David Meyer focuses on the Fourth Regional Plan's recommendations for transit investments. "There are essentially two phases to RPA’s transit vision," explains Meyer, "bringing the existing system up to snuff, and expanding it to handle the demands of a growing population." Writing for City Limits, Jarrett Murphy finds a particularly tantalizing detail of the Fourth Regional Plan's transit recommendations: switching the New York Subway system to a 2/3 system, running for 24 hours a day only on the weekends.

The livestream and public event that commemorated the release of the Fourth Regional Plan has also generated a lot of commentary on Twitter at #4thplan. The RPA has been teasing the release of the Fourth Regional Plan for years now—most recently with a report that recommended a wave of transit oriented developments near suburban rail stations, released earlier in November. Chasity Cooper also published a review of the three previous plans the day before the RPA released the Fourth Regional Plan.

Thursday, November 30, 2017 in Regional Plan Association

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 11, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Metrorail train pulling into newly opened subterranean station in Washington, D.C. with crowd on platform taking photos.

Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”

The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).

June 2, 2025 - The Hill

Large crowd on street in San Francisco, California during Oktoberfest festival.

The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns

In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.

June 2, 2025 - Robbie Silver

Color-coded map of labor & delivery departments and losses in United States.

The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace

In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and harrowing close calls are a growing reality.

2 hours ago - Maine Morning Star

Street scene in Kathmandu, Nepal with yellow minibuses and other traffic.

The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs

Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.

4 hours ago - Fast Company

Bike lane in Washington D.C. protected by low concrete barriers.

DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint

Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.

6 hours ago - The Washington Post