NOACA is the leading comprehensive regional agency for five counties - Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina – in Northeast Ohio.  As a federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), NOACA is responsible for cooperative and continuous planning for highways, public transit, and bikeways, as defined in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century.   It is also responsible for performing continuous water quality, transportation-related air quality, and other environmental planning functions. NOACA administers the area’s Clearinghouse function regarding federal funds targeted for projects benefiting the five Counties, offering local government an opportunity to review a wide variety of local or state applications.  The Agency also conducts demographic, economic, and land use research as they relate to transportation and/or environmental planning, and serves as an important information clearinghouse regarding these extensive areas of research. NOACA, through its Governing Board and related committees, provides transportation and environmental assistance to our 165 units of local, general- purpose government.  NOACA’s Services to Communities encompasses a wide variety of activities such as providing technical expertise, compiling transportation and environmental data, and preparing reports for member communities upon request by local officials.  Governed by a Code of Regulations, and working with its Board and committees, NOACA annually produces an Overall Work Program (OWP) and a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) which serves to prioritize highway, bikeway, and transit projects scheduled to receive federal aid in NOACA’s five counties over a four-year period. You can also view the agency's Mission Statement and NOACA's Planning Principles.