The Thriving Communities Program is a national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). It was created to help historically under-invested communities build the planning and technical capacity needed to access future federal infrastructure investments. Through a two-year technical assistance grant, the program supports 64 communities across the country by focusing on:
The program helps communities identify barriers, align planning processes, and design data-informed solutions that promote equity, sustainability, and opportunity. It also encourages participation from residents and local leaders to ensure that future infrastructure reflects community priorities.
Residents, nonprofits, and civic partners are encouraged to participate in the Thriving Communities Program.
The Pottstown Regional Community Foundation (PRCF) serves as the local coordinating agency for the Thriving Communities Program in the greater Pottstown area. PRCF leads this work through cross-sector partnerships with local government, nonprofit organizations, housing experts, transportation planners, and residents.
The program focuses on the Borough of Pottstown and nearby municipalities within PRCF’s ten-mile service radius in western Montgomery, northern Chester, and eastern Berks Counties.
The Thriving Communities Program is designed to address long-standing disparities in housing, transportation, and economic opportunity. Pottstown’s plan is grounded in Equitable Transit-Oriented Development, a strategy that connects people to services, jobs, and resources by integrating transit access, affordable housing, and inclusive economic growth.
Pottstown is a diverse, post-industrial community with deep civic roots. Despite its strengths, residents face significant structural barriers:
These disparities reflect decades of disinvestment, limited mobility options, and exclusion from regional growth. The 2023 Pottstown Community Survey, conducted across six underserved census block groups, confirmed the need for focused investment in housing, economic development, and infrastructure.
All Block Groups
All of Pottstown
Montgomery County
The Pottstown Thriving Communities Program advances five interdependent goals:
Advance infrastructure that connects residents to jobs, services, and opportunity through walkable, transit-accessible design. Position the region for future rail restoration and improved multimodal mobility.
Promote development strategies that increase affordable housing and address environmental conditions affecting health and equity. Prioritize sustainability and neighborhood resilience in revitalization efforts.
Encourage small business development and reinvestment in downtown corridors and underutilized commercial spaces. Build a more resilient local economy and support long-term job creation.
Embed resident priorities into planning through inclusive engagement and collaboration. Ensure solutions are relevant, equitable, and grounded in lived experience.
Use local data and multi-municipal coordination to guide investment decisions. Focus resources where they can drive the greatest measurable impact.
Pottstown’s approach is informed by peer cities that have implemented successful ETOD strategies under similar conditions.
Focus: Rail Restoration and Walkable Redevelopment
A $45 million investment to reinstate passenger rail sparked downtown revitalization through mixed-use zoning and pedestrian infrastructure.
Focus: Cultural District and Green Infrastructure
A $30 million public investment revitalized the River Arts District with trails, cultural spaces, and affordable housing.
The Thriving Communities Program gives Pottstown the tools to plan effectively and the framework to ensure that revitalization benefits every resident.
Pottstown Regional Community Foundation connects philanthropic intentions with our community’s most impactful economic, social, and educational needs to improve the quality of life for all residents today and tomorrow.
152 East High Street, Suite 500
Pottstown, PA 19464
(610) 323-2006
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