America 2050

For details on purpose of meeting, Click here.

To watch the hearing, Click here.

"Gas is $4 a gallon and we still have congestion" said Jim Spering, Solano County Supervisor in California recognizing that clogged roadways and reduced productivity must be addressed at a much larger scale.  More than one hundred leading transportation experts from the Bay and Sacramento corridor gathered on Thursday, April 10th, to explore the possibility of coordinating transportation plans at the megaregion scale in an attempt to attract funding for projects.

In a parallel effort, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and Imperial Valley EDC received a $225,000 grant to spearhead a study that aims to develop a megaregion framework for global competition.  The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration awarded the grant, which will cover the two southern California counties and the Northern Baja California, Mexico region.

Click below for the articles:

'Mega-region touted for transit - TheReporter.Com

"EDCs Receive $225,000 Grant for Mega-Region Initiative - International Business Times

April 18, New York City - US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer and President of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin all addressed the deteriorating infrastructure in our nation and called for Washington to establish a vision to renew and rebuild America at Regional Plan Association's Regional Assembly, titled "Oil and Water". Held at the Waldorf=Astoria in Midtown Manhattan, over 700 civic, business, and government leaders filled the room to hear Blumenauer, Rodin, Pelosi and other national and regional leaders address the scarcity of oil and water resources. Blumenauer and Rodin both focused on the nation's over-reliance on fossil fuels and the need for incorporating renewable sources of energy to fuel our cars and buildings.  Blumenauer applauded the America 2050 initiative for thinking in bold terms about the future of our nation and suggested that meetings such as this one should be held in every congressional district.  Rodin, who chaired the Assembly, recommended that federal policies urge coordination of state and local land-use plans with transportation policy. She underscored the importance of federal transportation policy to meet the challenges of climate change, competitiveness and social equity. To the last point, she added that after all, the Civil Rights movement began with "one very brave woman on a city bus; Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who dubbed herself the "Sewer Mayor," shared her experience of rebuilding the deteriorating water infrastructure in the City of Atlanta and highlighted the importance of partnering with the federal government to address Atlanta's water infrastructure crisis.