The San Francisco Bay Area is a unique and diverse region—home to 7.1 million people living in big cities, suburbs, and small towns. In the Bay Area, people have access to a wide variety of distinctive communities, beautiful natural environments, a diverse economy, and unique recreation areas. However, these positive attributes mean that the region will continue to attract new residents. It is expected that there will be nearly 2 million more people living in the Bay Area by 2035.

Although change is part of what makes the Bay Area a vibrant place to live, growth also poses challenges. Many of our region’s residents deal with long commutes, and very high housing costs. Our open lands and natural resources have been diminished by sprawl development and we now face the potential impacts of climate change.

In the face of these and other challenges, we are working together as a region to find solutions that transcend city and county boundaries. As part of FOCUS, a voluntary, incentive-based program, local governments and regional agencies are making a difference in how our region grows and develops.

What Is FOCUS?
FOCUS is a regional development and conservation strategy that promotes a more compact land use pattern for the Bay Area. It unites the efforts of four regional agencies into a single program that links land use and transportation by encouraging the development of complete, livable communities in areas served by transit, and promotes conservation of the region’s most significant resource lands.

Through FOCUS, regional agencies will support local governments' commitment to these goals by working to direct existing and future incentives to Priority Development Areas and Priority Conservation Areas. Priority Development Areas are locallyidentified, infill development opportunity areas near transit. Priority Conservation Areas are regionally significant open spaces for which there exists a broad consensus for long-term protection. These areas have been identified based on criteria that are consistent with the Bay Area's regional goals.

FOCUS is led by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), with support from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC)—in partnership with congestion management agencies, transit providers, and local governments throughout the Bay Area. It is partially funded by a Blueprint Grant from the State of California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency.

For more details about FOCUS, take a look at our informational handout.