The Thriving Communities Program (TCP) is a national initiative of the U.S. Department of Transportation that helps historically under-invested communities build the planning and technical capacity needed to compete for future federal infrastructure funding.
Pottstown is one of 64 communities selected across the country to receive a two year package of technical assistance, planning support, and leadership development. The Pottstown Regional Community Foundation (PRCF) serves as the local coordinating agency, working alongside municipal leaders, planners, housing partners, nonprofit organizations, and residents.
The goal is simple and ambitious at the same time: ensure that future investments in transportation, housing, and infrastructure benefit current residents, strengthen local opportunity, and support a thriving, equitable regional economy.
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.
Through the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Thriving Communities Program offers:
The program is designed to help communities move projects from idea to implementation, especially in places that have historically been overlooked or under resourced.
All Block Groups
All of Pottstown
Montgomery County
The Thriving Communities Program in Pottstown is guided by several high level goals. Together, these goals support a vision of Pottstown where all residents can live, work, learn, and thrive in connected, opportunity rich neighborhoods.
Improve access to good jobs, training, and economic resources so residents can benefit from new investment.
Build spaces, processes, and tools where residents can share their voices, concerns, and ideas about transit, housing, and neighborhood change.
Support strategies that protect renters and homeowners, expand affordable housing options, and reduce displacement risk near future transit investments.
PRCF coordinates Thriving Communities Pottstown using a regional partnership model that includes the Borough of Pottstown and nearby municipalities within PRCF’s ten-mile service radius in western Montgomery, northern Chester, and eastern Berks Counties.
Locally, the work focuses on five interconnected priorities:
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.
Thriving Communities is not only about long range plans. It also includes specific programs, tools, and engagement efforts that are happening now.
PRCF has built a regional learning network through repeated participation in the Mpact Transit + Community Conference (formerly Rail~Volution). These experiences are not one time trips. They are part of a multi year strategy to build local expertise, expand partnerships, and bring national best practices back to Pottstown.
Reactivating Passenger Rail With Community at the Center
One of the most visible opportunities connected to Thriving Communities is the potential restoration of passenger rail service between Philadelphia and Reading, with Pottstown as a key station along the corridor.
PRCF partners with groups such as the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, local and regional planning agencies, and national technical assistance providers to:
The phrase All Aboard for Equity reflects a shared commitment: growth should not leave anyone behind.
The Thriving Communities Program is already sparking visible, on-the-ground impact in Pottstown, including the development of a new state-of-the-art mini-pitch soccer facility at Pollock Park, made possible through a transformative partnership between the Pottstown Regional Community Foundation (PRCF) and the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
In 2025, PRCF secured a $100,000 national grant award to build the mini-pitch, with Pollock Park selected by the Philadelphia FIFA 2026 Host Committee as an official Legacy Project site. This project emerged from an inclusive community design charrette hosted by PRCF and the Borough of Pottstown, bringing together local leaders, nonprofit partners, school representatives, youth athletes, and neighborhood stakeholders. Their shared vision positioned the mini-pitch as a catalyst for equitable economic development, public health improvement, and meaningful youth engagement.
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.
Residents, partners, and organizations can support Thriving Communities in several ways:
PRCF is building a dedicated fund to sustain the Regional Home Garden Contest for years to come. Contributions of any size are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law and directly support program costs.
