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MTC/ABAG’s Plan Bay Area 2050+ Equity Priority Communities Update

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) have released the final update to the Equity Priority Communities (EPCs) geographies  for use in Plan Bay Area 2050+. In addition to informing long-range planning efforts, EPCs are also used to identify funding and public engagement priorities, among other areas.

Plan Bay Area 2050+ Equity Priority Communities Map
Explore the map.
Cropped image of the Plan Bay Area 2050+ Equity Priority Communities Update Map

The final map incorporates EPCs identified through 2014-2018 American Community Survey (ACS) and 2018-2022 ACS data into a single consolidated map of Plan Bay Area 2050+ Equity Priority Communities. This recommendation ensures that no EPC tracts previously identified as part of Plan Bay Area 2050 lose EPC status in Plan Bay Area 2050+, addressing key concerns raised by partners and the public during the Draft EPC engagement process over the spring, summer and fall of 2024.  

Federal planning requirements, including those related to Title VI and Environmental Justice Analysis, require the EPC map to use the latest planning data. As such, Plan Bay Area 2050+ will analyze both data vintages individually as part of Plan Bay Area 2050+ equity and performance analyses. In addition to addressing partner and stakeholder concerns, this approach will meet federal requirements by leveraging the latest ACS data and maintain the existing board-approved methodology for both data vintages.

For more information on the process to update Plan Bay Area 2050+ EPCs – including engagement conducted, feedback received, as well as preliminary details on a forthcoming effort to comprehensively re-envision MTC/ABAG’s EPC planning framework – please refer to the Plan Bay Area 2050+: Equity Priority Communities Update (December 2024 Memo and December 2024 Presentation).

Existing EPCs designated under Plan Bay Area 2050 will continue to be recognized until the adoption of Plan Bay Area 2050+, which is expected to occur in early 2026. The new EPCs under Plan Bay Area 2050+ will then be in effect until potentially early 2030, depending on the results and adoption of the forthcoming EPC Re-Envisioning process.