Imagine Salem Issues Progress Report

Initiative offers vision for Salem in 2026 on its 400th birthday

One year after it launched, the Imagine Salem community visioning initiative has released a progress report outlining the key findings and themes from a year’s worth of public workshops, surveys, focus groups, and more. Imagine Salem seeks to bring together people, organizations, and businesses from across Salem to have a conversation about what they want the community to look like in 2026, the year that Salem celebrates its 400th birthday.

The dialogue was framed around housing, jobs, and transportation with themes of equity and inclusiveness woven throughout the topics. The vision statement will serve as a guide for future decisions: “In 2026 we are a sustainable and livable city where we celebrate our diverse histories and where people of all backgrounds and means participate and thrive.”

“I want to thank everyone who joined the Imagine Salem conversation over the last year,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “We learned so much and are definitely excited to share the findings with everyone. I encourage all Salem residents to check out the progress report with details about the findings and ideas on how we can bring to life the suggestions from the report. Please reach out with your comments and ideas. The work is far from done as this conversation will continue onward into developing specific goals and action items to achieve those goals.”

Read the report at www.imaginesalem.org. To sign up for future updates or send in your comments on the progress report, contact Imagine Salem at imaginesalem@salem.com.