Association of Bay Area Governments
Encyclopedia
The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) is a regional planning agency
incorporating various local government
s in the San Francisco Bay Area
in California
. It deals with land use, housing, environmental quality, and economic development. Non-profit organizations as well as governmental organizations can be members. All nine counties and 101 cities within the Bay Area are voluntary members of ABAG.
As an advisory organization, ABAG has limited statutory authority. It is governed by the its General Assembly, which consists of an elected official (delegate) from each city and county which is a member of the organization. The General Assembly determines policy, adopts the annual budget and work program, and reviews policy actions taken or proposed by the organization's Executive Board. A majority of city and county votes are required for action.
ABAG was formed in 1961. In 1970, it issued its Regional Plan, 1970-1990, the Bay Area's first comprehensive regional plan. The document outlined a regional open space plan, regional information systems and technology support, criminal justice and training, water policy and waste collection, and earthquake hazards and planning.
The organization has a number of projects, including the San Francisco Bay Trail
.
ABAG works with other regional agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)
Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), to promote sustainable development
by working in partnership with city and county governments to establish both Priority Development Areas and Priority Conservation Areas. These local actions will, in turn, help achieve a more efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable region http://www.bayareavision.org/index.html .
Regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...
incorporating various local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
s in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It deals with land use, housing, environmental quality, and economic development. Non-profit organizations as well as governmental organizations can be members. All nine counties and 101 cities within the Bay Area are voluntary members of ABAG.
As an advisory organization, ABAG has limited statutory authority. It is governed by the its General Assembly, which consists of an elected official (delegate) from each city and county which is a member of the organization. The General Assembly determines policy, adopts the annual budget and work program, and reviews policy actions taken or proposed by the organization's Executive Board. A majority of city and county votes are required for action.
ABAG was formed in 1961. In 1970, it issued its Regional Plan, 1970-1990, the Bay Area's first comprehensive regional plan. The document outlined a regional open space plan, regional information systems and technology support, criminal justice and training, water policy and waste collection, and earthquake hazards and planning.
The organization has a number of projects, including the San Francisco Bay Trail
San Francisco Bay Trail
The San Francisco Bay Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian trail that will eventually allow continuous travel around the shoreline of San Francisco Bay. As of 2011, approximately 310 miles of trail have been completed...
.
ABAG works with other regional agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area)
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is a regional planning, financing, and funding government agency in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was created in 1970 to coordinate the transit systems in the area's nine counties...
Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), to promote sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
by working in partnership with city and county governments to establish both Priority Development Areas and Priority Conservation Areas. These local actions will, in turn, help achieve a more efficient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable region http://www.bayareavision.org/index.html .
External links
- FOCUSed Growth Programs for Sustainable Development
- Priority Development Areas
- Priority Conservation Areas
- ABAG Earthquake-related information. (See also earthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
) - Home structure seismic evaluation. (See also seismic retrofitSeismic retrofitSeismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. With better understanding of seismic demand on structures and with our recent experiences with large earthquakes near urban centers,...
.) - For seismic shake maps generated for this area. (See Hayward Fault ZoneHayward Fault ZoneThe Hayward Fault Zone is a geologic fault zone capable of generating significantly destructive earthquakes. This strike-slip fault is about long, situated mainly along the western base of the hills on the east side of San Francisco Bay...
for examples of use in an article.)