Regional Plan Association
Regional Plan Association is an independent non-profit civic research, planning, and advocacy organization that produces long-range regional plans, policy research, and infrastructure advocacy for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state metropolitan region, serving government agencies, communities, and the public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1922
- HeadquartersPrinceton, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Regional Plan Association does
Regional Plan Association (RPA) is an independent non-profit civic research, planning, and advocacy organization founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York, with regional offices in Trenton, Newark, and Stamford. It serves the 23-million-resident, 31-county, 13,000-square-mile New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state metropolitan region and produces four sequential long-range Regional Plans (1929, 1968, 1996, 2017), with the Fourth Regional Plan providing 61 recommendations across institutional reform, transportation, climate, and housing. RPA's operational surface includes research reports (554 published), advocacy campaigns (Build Gateway Now coalition, Penn Station, Interborough Express), the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange (a 10-region national learning network), the RPA Lab content platform, and an annual Assembly convening stakeholders.
RPA's core technology is its research and advocacy platform, which combines long-form policy analysis, regional data on housing permits, transit ridership, demographics, and infrastructure conditions, and direct policy engagement through public testimony, coalitions, and government partnerships. There is no commercial software product; instead, RPA distributes its work via rpa.org, social channels (X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky), email, events, and earned media coverage.
RPA's revenue model is non-profit philanthropy: foundation grants (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York Community Trust, Siegel Family Endowment, Amtrak), individual memberships and donations, and corporate sponsorships. It serves four primary constituencies: government agencies and elected officials (primary), community organizations and advocates, the business and real estate sector, and the general public in the tri-state region. Distribution is non-commercial; reports, advocacy positions, and convenings are provided at no charge to advance regional planning outcomes.
Regional Plan Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Regional Plan Association
- Legal name
- Regional Plan Association
- Website
- https://rpa.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1922
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Regional Plan Association is an independent non-profit civic research, planning, and advocacy organization that produces long-range regional plans, policy research, and infrastructure advocacy for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut tri-state metropolitan region, serving government agencies, communities, and the public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Regional Plan Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Research and Regional Planning Services
- NAICS
- Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)
Keywords
Where Regional Plan Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Princeton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Regional Plan Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grants and Foundations: RPA receives funding from foundations including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, New York Community Trust ($150,000 grant for IBX advocacy), and Siegel Family Endowment ($12 million+ in grants nationally).
- Individual Membership and Donations: RPA generates revenue through membership programs and individual donations from supporters who contribute to advance solutions for housing, infrastructure, resilience, and transportation.
- Corporate Sponsorships: The organization receives corporate sponsorships and support from businesses interested in regional planning outcomes.
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Regional Plan Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Regional Plan Association is a non-profit civic research and advocacy organization that produces long-range regional plans and research reports on transportation, housing, energy, and climate for the New York–New Jersey–Connecticut tri-state region. It convenes coalitions and leads advocacy campaigns (Build Gateway Now, Penn Station, Interborough Express) to influence infrastructure investment and land-use policy across 31 counties, 782 municipalities, and 13,000 square miles.
Product overview
Regional Plan Association is a civic planning and advocacy organization that operates as a research-and-recommendations platform rather than a commercial product company. Its core offerings include the Fourth Regional Plan (the foundational long-range planning document), research reports on transportation/housing/energy, advocacy campaigns (Gateway Program, Penn Station, Interborough Express), the Healthy Regions Planning Exchange program, and events such as the annual RPA Assembly and RPA Lab content platform. These offerings work together to guide regional planning policy and advocate for infrastructure improvements across the tri-state area.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Build Gateway Now: A coalition of civic, labor and business leaders working to build support for the Gateway Program infrastructure project.
- RPA Lab
- Healthy Regions Planning Exchange
Products and services
- Fourth Regional Plan Foundational long-range planning document guiding growth and development of the New York–New Jersey–Connecticut metropolitan region; contains 61 recommendations on transportation modernization, climate change, affordable housing, and public institution reform for government agencies, policymakers, and civic stakeholders.
- Research Reports Comprehensive research publications covering transportation, housing and neighborhood planning, and energy and environment for the tri-state region; intended for government agencies, policymakers, civic organizations, and the public.
- Build Gateway Now Campaign Advocacy coalition led by RPA to build support for the Gateway Program, described as the most important infrastructure project in the nation involving rail tunnel construction under the Hudson River; serves federal, state, and regional policymakers and the public.
- Penn Station Advocacy Campaign Commuter advocacy campaign combining transit and planning expertise to pressure state, federal, and transit leaders to address Penn Station infrastructure issues; targets policymakers, commuters, and civic stakeholders.
- Interborough Express (IBX) Advocacy Advocacy effort supporting the planned MTA Interborough Express light rail connecting Brooklyn and Queens, originating from RPA's Third Regional Plan Triboro Line proposal; serves MTA leadership, state officials, and NYC commuters.
- Healthy Regions Planning Exchange
Companies that use Regional Plan Association
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Regional Plan Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Regional Plan Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- MTA (Interborough Express)flagshipRPA's Third Regional Plan proposal for the 'Triboro Line' was adapted by Governor Kathy Hochul as the MTA's new Interborough Express, a planned light rail connecting Brooklyn and Queens.
- NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public ServicecorePartnership with NYU Wagner to produce the 'Infrastructure for Recovery and Renewal' report analyzing how federal infrastructure investment can benefit the tri-state region. The collaboration included analysis by NYU Wagner on job creation and economic impact of infrastructure investments.
- Build Gateway Now CoalitionflagshipRPA leads the Build Gateway Now coalition of civic, labor and business leaders to build support for the Gateway Program, the most important infrastructure project in the nation.
- Healthy Regions Planning Exchange PartnerscoreRPA leads a network of 10 regions across the US including: SPUR and Urban Habitat (Bay Area), Greater Buffalo Niagara Regional Transport & Co. and PUSH Buffalo (Buffalo), Chicago Dept of Public Health and CMAP (Chicago), Alliance for Community Transit-LA (Los Angeles), Fair Housing Action Center (New Orleans), Community Voices Heard and Make the Road NY (New York), Thunder Valley CDC (Pine Ridge), Hill District Consensus Group (Pittsburgh), and Multnomah County Health Dept (Portland).
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Regional Plan Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association): SPUR is the Bay Area's analogous regional research, planning, and advocacy nonprofit, producing long-range plans and policy analysis for a major US metro. It is the closest functional peer to RPA, operating with the same membership/foundation-funded model in a different but comparable metro economy.
- Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP): CMAP is the official regional planning organization for the Chicago metropolitan area, producing long-range plans, data analysis, and policy recommendations on land use, transportation, and housing. It is a direct functional peer to RPA in terms of regional planning output, though it is a quasi-governmental body rather than an independent nonprofit.
- Greater Washington Partnership: Greater Washington Partnership is a civic alliance of regional CEOs and business leaders focused on transportation, housing, and talent issues across the DC-MD-VA corridor. It overlaps directly with RPA's business-led coalition model (e.g., Build Gateway Now) and targets similar infrastructure and workforce outcomes in another major US metro.
- Boston Indicators (The Boston Foundation): Boston Indicators is the research and data arm of The Boston Foundation, producing cross-sector regional analysis on housing, transportation, economic mobility, and equity for Greater Boston. It mirrors RPA's model of producing issue-spanning regional research backed by philanthropic funding, and was a co-listed member of RPA's Healthy Regions Planning Exchange.
- Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Lincoln Institute is a national nonprofit focused on land-use policy research, education, and advocacy, with deep work on housing affordability, zoning reform, and metropolitan planning. It is comparable to RPA in mission and methodology, but operates at a national scale rather than anchoring a single metro.
- Smart Growth America: Smart Growth America is a national advocacy coalition focused on land-use, transportation, and development patterns that produce equitable, sustainable communities. It overlaps directly with RPA's transportation, housing, and climate-resilience advocacy work, though at a national rather than single-metro scope.
- Congress for the New Urbanism: Congress for the New Urbanism is a national membership organization that promotes walkable, mixed-use neighborhood design through advocacy, research, and an annual conference. It overlaps with RPA on urban planning principles and advocacy tactics, but focuses on design and built-form standards rather than regional-scale policy.
Broad incumbents
- Urban Institute: Urban Institute is a large national economic and social policy research organization that conducts significant work on housing, transportation, and regional inequality. It is broader than RPA — covering federal policy across many domains — but is a relevant comparison for scale, methodology, and funder base.
- Brookings Institution (Metropolitan Policy Program): Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program produces influential research on US metro economies, housing, and infrastructure. It is comparable in policy influence and federal/state funder relationships but operates nationally across multiple metros rather than anchoring one specific region the way RPA does for NY-NJ-CT.
Others
- National Association of Regional Councils (NARC): NARC is the national membership association for the country's regional councils of governments (COGs) and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). It is an ecosystem peer to RPA — supporting the broader network of regional planning bodies that RPA influences and frequently partners with, rather than directly competing for the same advocacy role.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Regional Plan Association social profiles
Digital presenceRegional Plan Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Regional Plan Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Regional Plan Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Regional Plan Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Regional Plan Association
What does Regional Plan Association do?
Regional Plan Association is a non-profit civic research and advocacy organization that produces long-range regional plans and research reports on transportation, housing, energy, and climate for the New York–New Jersey–Connecticut tri-state region. It convenes coalitions and leads advocacy campaigns (Build Gateway Now, Penn Station, Interborough Express) to influence infrastructure investment and land-use policy across 31 counties, 782 municipalities, and 13,000 square miles.
Is Regional Plan Association a public or private company?
Regional Plan Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Regional Plan Association founded?
Regional Plan Association was founded in 1922. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Regional Plan Association based?
Regional Plan Association is headquartered in Princeton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Regional Plan Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grants and Foundations are the primary driver. The others are individual Membership and Donations and corporate Sponsorships.
Who are Regional Plan Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association), Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP), Greater Washington Partnership, Boston Indicators (The Boston Foundation), Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Smart Growth America and Congress for the New Urbanism. Broad incumbents are Urban Institute and Brookings Institution (Metropolitan Policy Program). National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) is listed as an others.
Does Regional Plan Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Regional Plan Association.
What industry is Regional Plan Association in?
Regional Plan Association's product category is Civic Research and Regional Planning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIANAD, Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning), with a secondary code of BPAHAKAE, Regional & Land Use Planning. Its NAICS code is 9251 and its SIC code is 8600.