The Aquidneck Island Planning Commission (AIPC) serves as a regional agency fostering communication, coordination and consensus building among the municipalities of Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth as well as Naval Station Newport and other civic, state and federal organizations. 

The AIPC is a 501 (c) (3) organization.  Its legal basis as a planning commission is found in Rhode Island General Law, Title 45, Chapter 22, which authorizes the establishment of a joint municipal planning commission for the purposes of promoting health, safety, morals, and general welfare of its communities. In 1985 the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth and the City of Newport each passed a resolution of commitment that set up the structure and purpose of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission.