ThinkFest Preview: Eric Goldstein on the Urban(e) Suburb

While much has been written about Millennials’ love affair with the city, research conducted by the National Association of Realtors and others indicates that once those Millennials start thinking in a family way, they follow their parents out to the suburbs, where most of them grew up.

But once they get there, they still want the vibrant amenities and walkability they fell in love with in town.

America’s edge cities are actually in a position to provide both suburban comfort and urban vitality, and Eric Goldstein, executive director of the King of Prussia District, has been busy reshaping Greater Philadelphia’s premier edge city to do just that.

“King of Prussia is a suburban community and it will remain a suburban community,” Goldstein explained in a Phillymag.com post this past spring. Yet ever since its founding in 2010, the King of Prussia Business Improvement District has had as its goal adding mixed uses, improving transit service and creating walkable live/work/play environments within its still-suburban footprint.

“While people still want to live and work in suburban communities, they are looking for communities that are more dynamic and more stimulating,” Goldstein said.

Better transit is a key element in the equation because it both allows suburban residents to reach the city faster and allows city residents to access the many employment opportunities edge cities like King of Prussia offer.

Is what we’re seeing in King of Prussia “the revenge of the suburbs”? Maybe. But it’s also a step in their evolution, and this year’s ThinkFest kicks off with Goldstein explaining how and why the evolution is taking place.

Join us on November 15th at the Convention Center for this one-day event where Philly’s smartest people share their biggest ideas. Check out the full lineup of speakers and get your tickets today.