The document discusses the New York Metropolitan Region which encompasses 3 states, 31 counties, 783 municipalities, and over 23 million residents across 17 metropolitan planning organizations. It provides historical information about Regional Plan Association, which has prepared long range regional plans since 1922. The current Fourth Regional Plan was launched in 2013 and aims to provide capacity for growth, expand opportunity, improve affordability and create more sustainable and resilient systems. It discusses defining different types of places and key issues being addressed in the current regional planning process such as climate change, energy, housing, transportation, and governance.