Imagine.Akron:2025 is a citizen-led planning effort to assist the municipal government of Akron, Ohio to identify goals for the city’s future.

The initiative for the program was first outlined in 1998 by the mayor of Akron Don Plusquellic who observed that it had been 25 years since Akron last structured an extensive public discussion about the future, Goals for Greater Akron(1973).

Mindful of the City’s regional impact on many issues, Imagine.Akron’s charge was to focus principally on the city’s delivery of services to families, education, neighborhoods, and commerce.

The city employed David Lieberth, a mediator in private practice, a former news reporter, and a long time civic activist to lead the program. With a paid staff of two people, Lieberth chaired the community discussion as both a volunteer and as a paid consultant to the City.

More than 1,000 people participated in the 18 month dialogue. It began in January, 1999 and concluded in June, 2000.

• 400 residents volunteered to participate as panelists on 40 different Workgroups which were topic-focused discussions.

• Some 250 people spoke at 17 different assemblies, some of which sought to inventory a broad range of ideas, and some of which were topic-focused.

• The University of Akron’s Center for Policy Research conducted in-depth telephone interviews with 402 Akron residents who were randomly selected in a scientific sample in July, 2000.

The project was supported by an allocation from the City Council of Akron in the amount of $150,000 and by private contributions totaling $42,500 from Akron Tomorrow, a private organization made up of the city’s largest employers.

Imagine.Akron:2025 has provided to the mayor and council its final report:

• A Statement of 23 separate Goals.

• The written reports of 39 workgroups.

• An inventory of all comments made at the citizen assemblies.

• A summary of polling results prepared by the Center for Policy Research.

• An essay by the chairman, summarizing the city’s look into its future.