Pathways to the Future: Air Quality Plan Completed
After two years of analysis, collaboration, and community input, PlanRVA is proud to announce the completion of the Pathways to the Future: Air Quality Plan—a comprehensive regional roadmap for improving air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions across our region.
This plan represents a major milestone in our collective effort to build healthier, more resilient communities. It reflects countless hours of coordination with local governments, regional partners, technical experts, and residents who shared their concerns, priorities, and ideas for the future.
A Bold Vision for a Healthier Region
The Air Quality plan identifies 22 actionable measures aimed at reducing air pollution and climate-warming emissions from key sources such as transportation, buildings, and industry. Using the best available data and modeling tools, the plan shows that the region could theoretically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96% by 2050.
More importantly, the plan doesn’t just focus on emissions—it centers people. Many of the strategies prioritize:
Improving public health and air quality,
Reducing energy burdens for households,
Expanding access to cleaner transportation options,
Supporting long-term economic resilience.
Developed Through Regional Partnership
This plan was shaped through collaboration with local governments and regional stakeholders, as well as robust public engagement efforts to ensure community voices were heard. From technical working groups to public surveys and meetings, the planning process emphasized transparency, inclusivity, and local relevance.
The result is a plan that reflects both regional coordination and local needs—designed to be flexible, practical, and scalable for communities of different sizes and capacities.
What Comes Next
Completing the plan is just the beginning.
Pathways to the Future is not a mandate, but a toolkit. It provides local governments, community groups, and regional partners with:
A menu of strategies to pursue,
Data to support decision-making,
A shared framework for action, and
A long-term vision for regional collaboration.
Implementation will happen over time and at many scales—but with sustained partnership and commitment, we can turn this plan into measurable improvements in air quality and quality of life.
Read the Plan
The full Air Quality Plan is now publicly available at:
www.rva-airquality.org/documents
We invite residents, stakeholders, and partners to explore the plan, learn about the recommended actions, and join us in shaping a healthier future for our region.