MetroFuture is a bold and achievable plan to make a Greater Boston Region — to better the lives of the people who live and work in Metropolitan Boston between now and 2030.

It capitalizes on the region’s most important assets: its diverse people and landscape, a history of innovation, and a commitment to education and civic engagement. MetroFuture is a vision of a region where growth is focused in areas where it already exists and linked by an efficient transportation system; our land and natural resources are conserved; we invest in our residents by improving their health and education; opportunities are available to all residents of the region, regardless of race or ethnicity; and expanding prosperity benefits all of us.

This plan was developed with the extensive participation of thousands of “plan builders”: residents, municipal officials, state agencies, businesses, community-based organizations, and institutional partners throughout the region. They shared their visions for the future of the region, evaluated alternative scenarios for our future using data and sophisticated computer models, and had difficult conversations about the region’s priorities. The process concluded with the transformative MetroFuture Regional Plan that was formally adopted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) in 2008.

Through this process, MAPC has created demographic and economic projections of the region’s future; a set of 65 specific goals for the year 2030, as well as objectives and indicators we will use to measure progress toward achieving these goals; 13 implementation strategies containing hundreds of recommendations for actions needed to achieve our goals; and a constituency of “plan builders” poised to make our vision a reality.