The Greater Bridgeport Planning Region is a planning region and

county-equivalent In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an administrative subdivision of a state or territory, typically with defined geographic boundaries and some level of governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 states, whil ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. It is served by the coterminous Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG). In 2022, planning regions were approved to replace Connecticut's

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

as county-equivalents for statistical purposes, with full implementation occurring by 2024.

MetroCOG policies and activities

MetroCOG is a

council of governments A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nation ...

and a

regional planning organization A Regional Planning Organization is a government body that guides the development of public and private resources in a manner that ensures public safety, well being and livability. Regional planning organizations take different forms and may also in ...

serving

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

, Fairfield, Easton,

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

, Stratford, and Trumbull. It regulates economic development, transportation, and environmental quality in the region. MetroCOG also serves as a "host agency" for the Greater Bridgeport and Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. Mike Tetreau, a Fairfield First Selectman, has served as Executive Director since 2018. The headquarters of MetroCOG is located at 1000 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. As of 2018, MetroCOG is looking into initiating a

bike-sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include both ...

that would service Bridgeport, Fairfield and Stratford and perhaps Trumbull, Monroe and Easton. Another priority of the council was to gain a "county government equivalence designation" from the

United States Census The United States census (plural censuses or census) is a census that is legally mandated by the Constitution of the United States. It takes place every ten years. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790 United States ce ...

in order to be able to apply for many federal programs as since 1960, Connecticut has no county governments. This change was made official by the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

in 2022. In 2017 the council worked to secure a $2,050,000 state grant to improve the

Pequonnock River The Pequonnock River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed 2011-04-01. waterway in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut. Its watershed is located in five communities, ...

trail.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 325,778 people living in the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.

Municipalities

The following municipalities are members of the Greater Bridgeport Region: *

* Easton * Fairfield *

* Stratford * Trumbull

References

External links

Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments
{{Connecticut Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut Connecticut councils of governments