Activity Centers are the spatial framework of Region Forward and will be central to achieving the goals of the vision. Over the past several months, COG staff worked closely with planning staff from every COG member jurisdiction to develop a new approach to designating centers that is consistent with local planning priorities and incorporates Region Forward principles.

Now the Region Forward Coalition needs your ideas about how Activity Centers can be used by regional leaders in Government, Business, and Advocacy to achieve Region Forward's vision. When the final Activity Center map is submitted to the COG Board for adoption, it will include recommendations on how public and private sector stakeholders can use Activity Centers to advance Region Forward.. Using Activity Centers to inform policies, programs, and decision-making will be a new endeavor for the region. Therefore, as the Region Forward Coalition examines our options, we are seeking new and creative ideas on how Activity Centers can be used to implement Region Forward.

We invite you to review the map and supporting information and submit your ideas on how the Activity Center map could be used to improve and enhance communities and the National Capital Region. All ideas will be summarized and presented to the Region Forward Coalition at its quarterly meeting on October 26th. The deadline for submitting ideas is October 1st.

Activity Centers are existing urban areas, traditional towns, and priority development areas. They represent places where local governments are targeting future residential and commercial development. These centers are places where we can expect significant amount of change and investment between now and 2040. Together, Activity Centers will play a central role in achieving Region Forward's prosperity, sustainability, accessibility, and livability goals.

Activity Centers originally emerged from the Transportation Planning Board's 1998 vision. The vision called for the development of a regional map that identified Activity Centers and major transportation corridors. The original Activity Centers map was <approved in 2002, with an update adopted in 2007. The first two version of the map were designed as an analytical tool highlighting centers where significant job concentrations were present or expected based on COG's Cooperative Forecasts. This approach limited how Activity Centers could be used for policy and programmatic purposes that support Region Forward's goals mainly because there was uneven alignment with locally adopted comprehensive plans.

The 2012 Activity Center Map (shown below) is the starting place for implementing Region Forward's goals. The Region Forward Coalition believes Activity Centers can play a central role in targeting scarce resources, aligning investments, and focusing program and policies. As we consider our options, we want to hear from you.