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What is the
Downtown Selma vision?

Revitalizing Selma's Legacy, Building a Thriving Future

The Downtown Selma Vision is a community-driven roadmap for revitalizing Selma’s historic core into a dynamic, inclusive, and economically thriving city center. This initiative builds on Selma’s powerful legacy while creating new opportunities for residents, businesses, and visitors. By investing in public spaces, housing, and commercial development, we are fostering a resilient downtown that celebrates the city’s cultural heritage while embracing a future of progress, innovation, and opportunity.

Why does Selma need a vision for its downtown?

A Future of Opportunity for All

For decades, downtown Selma has faced economic challenges, population decline, and the lingering effects of segregation and disinvestment. Today, we have an opportunity to reverse that trajectory by creating a vibrant, walkable, and diverse downtown that attracts businesses, tourism, and new residents. This vision ensures that Selma not only honors its past but also builds a sustainable future, where economic growth and social progress go hand in hand to create a city that serves all its people.

How will this vision be achieved?

A Roadmap for Transformation

The transformation of downtown Selma will be realized through a combination of strategic investments, community partnerships, and policy initiatives. Key elements include adaptive reuse of historic buildings, streetscape improvements, new public spaces, and economic incentives for small businesses and entrepreneurs. A focus on housing, cultural tourism, and workforce development will ensure that revitalization benefits the entire community while positioning Selma as a national leader in justice-centered urban renewal.

Who is leading the effort, and how can the community get involved?

Leadership, Collaboration, and Community Action

The Downtown Selma Vision is being led by a coalition of organizations and community partners committed to revitalizing the city. The Partnership for Economic Renewal in Communities (PERC) is focused on driving investment and business development, ensuring that downtown becomes an engine for economic opportunity. The Selma Center for Nonviolent Truth and Reconciliation (SCNTR) plays a crucial role in advancing justice and social equity, ensuring that Selma’s historical significance informs its future growth. Community engagement is at the heart of this vision—residents, business owners, and local leaders are actively shaping decisions through public meetings, grassroots initiatives, and advocacy efforts. Everyone has a role to play in making downtown Selma a place of opportunity, culture, and civic pride.

Where will the most significant changes take place?

Key Districts of Change

The heart of the transformation will be in Selma’s historic downtown core, focusing on key corridors that connect civic spaces, commercial hubs, and cultural landmarks. Investments will prioritize the area around Broad Street, the Selma Riverfront, and key historic sites to create a seamless, walkable district. The plan also envisions enhanced connections between downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, ensuring that revitalization extends beyond a single district to benefit the city as a whole.

When will the vision become reality?

A Long-Term Vision with Immediate Impact

Revitalizing downtown Selma is a long-term effort, with phased implementation over the coming years. Some projects, such as public space improvements and business incentives, will take shape in the near future, while larger initiatives—like new housing developments and major civic investments—will unfold over time. This is a generational effort, but each step forward brings us closer to a downtown that reflects Selma’s full potential as a thriving, world-class city.