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Celebrating Regionalism: An Oral History Project

Early 2011 brings two significant regional milestones: the 50th anniversary of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the 40th anniversary of Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). ABAG’s golden anniversary falls in January 2011, while MTC’s 40th falls in February 2011 — 40 years since the Commission held its first meeting in February 1971. (We've actually been celebrating MTC's 40th anniversary since 2010, as the legislation founding the agency was actually passed in 1970.)

In recognition of this double milestone, MTC and ABAG launched an oral history project, seeking out some two dozen key figures in the evolution of regionalism to interview on camera. In several cases, the subjects have served on both agencies’ governing panels. We have compiled selections from these interviews into the above introductory video, The Birth of Bay Area Regionalism: A History of Partnership. We have also posted full-length versions of the interviews below. If you have a story to share about the early days of MTC or ABAG, contact info@bayareametro.gov.