City of Allentown
Evolve Environment :: Architecture
Fourth Economy Consulting

Allentown’s Vision 2030 Comprehensive and Economic Development Plan envisions the next 10 years of growth and development in the third largest city in Pennsylvania. Allentown today reflects the country’s change to a knowledge economy. Healthcare and office jobs are emerging as key economic sectors, and many work in the logistics industry, bolstered by internet commerce. The City’s growing population and changing demographics necessitated different approaches to community engagement. The City dedicated a physical space and staffing by the City to facilitate community conversations. All materials, presentations, speakers, and activities were provided in both English and Spanish, with online and physical toolkits that allowed communities to discuss the contents of the plan outside of the traditional meeting format.

The City created a Community Ambassadors Program to create a network of engaged and informed community members who could add capacity to the implementation of the plan. The Vision 2030 Community Engagement Hub was established in a donated downtown storefront. The Hub invited community members to drop in, learn about the planning process, and participate in activities to capture their priorities and feedback on plan development. The Community Engagement Hub has become a model to make city government, programs, and projects more accessible and transparent for citizens. Allentown Vision 2030 makes a strong commitment to taking on big ideas. It is high in originality and easily understood thought graphic representations.