Mission & History

Mission

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission is the legally designated regional planning agency for the Pioneer Valley region in Western Massachusetts. PVPC was organized in 1962 under Massachusetts enabling legislation to serve a planning district comprising 43 member cities and towns and more than 625,000 residents.

Our mission is to preserve and enhance the quality of life for its individual member communities and for the region as a whole by:

Working to develop policies, programs, and projects that support public and private efforts throughout the region to resolve issues, solve problems, meet needs, and exploit opportunities whenever and wherever such efforts can benefit from sound regional planning.
Serving as an advocate for the regional community as needs and circumstances dictate.
Engaging an open and broadly participatory planning process solidly grounded in ethical principles and a commitment to dedicated, high-quality public service.

In support of this mission, PVPC's principal responsibilities include:

Bringing a regional and inter-regional perspective to the region’s transportation, housing, economic development, historic preservation, pollution control, and resource management and protection planning.
Promoting the region’s interests at the state and federal levels.
Assisting municipalities with technical aid, grant writing assistance, and grant administration.
Fostering cooperative efforts among municipalities to achieve better land development, public service, and financial efficiency.
Enhancing collaboration between the public and private sectors in the Pioneer Valley region.
Gathering, maintaining, and making available planning-related data.

History - A PVPC Time Capsule: 50 Years and Counting

The year is 1962. Soviet missile bases are detected in Cuba. John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth. Elvis Presley is all the rage, and Wilt Chamberlain scores one hundred points in one game.

In that same year, in a small office on Chestnut Street in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Lower Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission opened its doors. Serving as a “general store” for the region, this new planning agency addressed a wide range of concerns for member communities, federal and state agencies, and civic groups throughout the Pioneer Valley. Its goal was to improve the quality of life for all residents by promoting regional collaboration among communities—bringing them together to solve problems, and to pursue opportunities that went beyond municipal boundaries. The district was launched by six communities at its organizational meeting: Springfield, West Springfield, Westfield, Agawam, Southwick, and Middlefield. Edward C. Peck, a lawyer serving on the West Springfield planning board, was voted chairman.

Fast-forward to the present: the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s original planning district has expanded to include 43 communities—a space roughly equivalent in size to Rhode Island, and home to more than half-a-million residents. Its agenda has never been broader. Its network of regional partners has never been wider. But one thing has not changed. Over decades of challenges, opportunities, and successes, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission remains committed to improving the quality of life for all people in the Pioneer Valley…and its outlook for the region’s future has never been brighter.

“Intelligently Cooperating With the Future” video production by WGBY

50 Years of Milestones: A PVPC Timeline

Five Decades of Signature Regional Plans and Progress

PVPC Leadership

PVPC Membership Map (by year)