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AZBigMedia
Within a matter of decades, Gilbert has evolved from an agriculture-driven suburb into a fast-growing economic hub with an increasingly diverse economic portfolio. The town has been growing by roughly six to eight thousand new residents each year, and according to Gilbert’s Office of Economic Development, the population will likely reach over 300,000 people by 2030.
According to Patrick Banger, town manager for the Town of Gilbert, that amount of growth is something that many fast-developing suburbs struggle to keep up with. That’s why Gilbert officials created what they call the City of the Future strategic initiative – a plan designed to maintain community health in the coming decades by focusing on the long-term impacts of decisions being made today.
“We are trying to understand at a much more specific level, what is it that we need to do to make sure that Gilbert still looks this way 20 years from now?” Banger said.