What’s on the Horizon?

Horizon eNewsletter Issue 2
 
Thank you for being a part of the exciting launch of Horizon! This ambitious initiative explores a range of questions that traditionally have been outside the regional planning process and opens up the conversation to the public, planners and policymakers.
Several events took place in June that explored the challenges and opportunities that the Bay Area likely is to face between now and 2050. 
 
What’s Happening?

Planning Innovations Forum #7

On June 26, the first Expand Your Horizon: Talks on the Future of the Bay Area was hosted at the Bay Area Metro Center. Expert panelists and attendees discussed the potential impacts of autonomous vehicles, which may be one of the great disrupters of transportation in our lifetime. Each Expand Your Horizon event will explore a specific topic and launch a new Perspective Paper, identifying strategies to consider in greater depth in the months ahead.
The next Perspective Paper will consider travel demand management and climate mitigation and will be released in September. Other topics to be covered include regional growth strategies, the future of jobs and designing better buildings. Check out the full Expand Your Horizon schedule
BIG IDEAS for Bay Area Transportation

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At the start of June, an open submission for big ideas to transform the way we move around the Bay Area was launched with the Request for Transformative Projects. This three-month campaign is open to anyone with big, bright, billion-dollar (or more) ideas for improving connectivity and ease of movement in the region. Congestion management agencies, Bay Area transit operators, city agencies, planners, non-profits, private companies and the general public all are encouraged to participate.
MTC staff will review all submissions, which have the potential to be included in the analysis for Horizon and Plan Bay Area 2050. Proposals are due September 6, with finalists selected in October. Submissions from individuals and private-sector organizations will be eligible to receive prizes.
Up Ahead

Futures Video

There will be several opportunities in July to learn more about the three futures proposed for further exploration in the Horizon process in the coming year. These three widely divergent futures are designed to test strategies and investments to identify those that are most effective no matter the future that the Bay Area might face. They were selected from the 11 futures created by teams of stakeholders at the April Horizon Peer Exchange. Each of the three shortlisted futures are framed to explore a central “what if” question:
  • Clean and Green – what if… new technologies and a national carbon tax enabled greater telecommuting and distributed job centers?
  • Rising Tides, Falling Fortunes – what if… the federal government cuts spending and reduced regulations, leaving more policy decisions to states and regions?
  • Back to the Future – what if… an economic boom and new transportation options spur a new wave of development?
The proposed futures will be presented at the July 13 MTC Planning Committee meeting and July 19 ABAG Executive Board meeting. Following feedback from these meetings, staff will start the first round of land use and travel modeling for the futures, exploring what would happen to the Bay Area if status quo policies continue despite the unique forces incorporated into each future.
Join the Conversation
Keep up with what people are saying about Horizon and add your thoughts.

 

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