In this month of honoring Black History in the United States, Planning NEXT is honored to be working alongside the City of Selma, Alabama, and Dallas County to facilitate a Strategic Action Plan. This plan is part of the community’s Long-Term Recovery Plan following the devastating EF2 tornado of 2023. This initiative marks Planning NEXT’s 18th project in Alabama, joining past work in historically significant communities such as Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Mobile, and Anniston.
Selma is a resilient community and holds a significant place in American history as a focal point of the civil rights movement. The iconic Edmund Pettus Bridge remains a symbol of the civil rights movement, where leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lewis, and Andrew Young courageously marched in the struggle to exercise constitutional voting rights for African American citizens in 1965.
The Strategic Action Plan for Selma will be a broad, recovery-focused roadmap designed to increase regional resiliency and prepare the community for the future. Grounded in sound fiscal strategy, the plan will tie programs, policies, and projects to actionable steps that support both short-term recovery and long-term growth. The Planning NEXT team is conducting in-depth research, leveraging existing plans, studies, and key indicators across land use, housing, economic development, and infrastructure to identify priorities and opportunities. Once completed, the plan will serve as a guidebook for decision-makers, fostering collaboration and helping mobilize resources at the federal, state, and community levels to drive implementation and reimagine Selma’s future.
In Selma, Planning NEXT is collaborating with local community groups and expert partners to ensure an inclusive and effective recovery plan. The project team includes Goodwyn Mills Caywood (GMC), Innovative Emergency Management (IEM), Ninigret Partners (NP), and College Town Consulting (CTC).
Click here to read more about Planning NEXT’s work in Selma and in the State of Alabama.
