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VIBRANT ECONOMY
Improved Transportation Access
Focused Development
Attraction and Retention of
Businesses
Flexibility with Market
Conditions
Marketing of Assets
FLEXIBLY ADAPT TO CHANGING MARKET CONDITIONS
AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Important shifts are happening in the county’s population and real estate market, and the county must be prepared for these
changing conditions. On the demographic front, the county’s population is aging and foreign-born residents are increasing,
while many young residents express interest in more urban locations. In real estate, mixed use is more popular, offices are
being reimagined, apartment development is growing, industrial may be coming back, and retail is changing.
The county will stay on top of these trends, adjusting its work and outreach to continuously address changing demographic and
real estate trends. Specifically,
the county will ...
■■ Increase in young adults
moving into the county
Measuring success
40%
of Millennials
prefer cities, compared to
28%
of all adults
- The
county will continue to
encourage town revitalization
and new mixed use development
to meet this demand
55%
of Millennials want
public transportation options,
compared to
51%
of all
adults
- The county will work
with SEPTA to improve public
transit convenience and access
62%
of Millennials want
to be close to a mix of
shops, restaurants, and
offices, compared to
53%
of all adults
- The county will
work with municipalities on
zoning that allows well-designed
mixed use development
76%
of Millennials rate
walkability as important,
compared to
70%
of all
adults
- the county will prepare
a walkability plan and will
encourage good pedestrian design
… encourage communities, businesses, arts organizations, and
developers to create walkable, mixed use, transit-friendly, and
entertainment-supportive employment centers, towns, and
destinations to attract young workers and other key
demographic groups
Younger generations tend to have more formal education than older ones, and
many businesses find that their young, creative workers want to live in
more urban locations.
