City officials and administrators of “edge cities” and other growing communities gathered at the National Edge City Conference in Schaumburg this week to discuss the rapid growth of suburban and other small communities.

An edge city is an area with a significant increase in residential, retail and industrial growth outside a central city. Cities like Naperville, Oak Brook and Plainfield are considered to be on the edge.

The conference took place Sunday through Tuesday at the Schaumburg Marriot Hotel.

NIU was one of four sponsors for the conference. The other sponsors included Roosevelt University, the village of Schaumburg and the Greater Woodfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Robert Gleeson, the director of NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies, attended the conference.

“The conference was dominated by people from edge cities who were mayors, city planners, academic presenters and others sharing information, lessons, experiences and offering advice about edge cities,” he said after the conference.

Gleeson said there are signs that areas of growth are beginning to develop in places other than major cities.

“The question being discussed is whether edge cities are becoming the dominant sources of new population growth and new economic activity. If this is the case, this is the first time central cities are not the answer,” Gleeson said.

Two NIU staff members presented at the conference on Tuesday.

Roger Dahlstrom, a senior research associate at NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies, presented on the available technology for planning land development.

“My presentation focused on development simulation and use of computer technology to model future scenarios for a city,” he said after the conference.

More specifically, Dahlstrom gave a presentation on the fiscal impact of future development.

“We need to make our mistakes on paper, and not on the landscape, to manage growth,” he said.

Michael Peddle, a senior research associate for NIU’s Center for Governmental Studies, also presented at the conference.

Peddle shared the results of surveys taken by elected and administrative officials of different edge cities in the Midwest.

The survey covered the characteristics of an edge city, pubic policy goals and the strengths and weaknesses of each area’s development, along with challenges faced and possible solutions.