Madison Reporter

The City of Madison has introduced a novel approach for residents to express their views as part of the ongoing Southwest and Southeast Area Plan process. The initiative, called "Madison Madness," employs a bracket format to engage residents in future planning decisions related to housing, neighborhood amenities, transportation, and recreation.

This bracket is a component of the city's broader community engagement efforts. It complements previous public events and surveys conducted for the Southwest and Southeast Area Plans. Participants are asked to identify their residence location within or outside these planning areas. Responses from those living outside the designated areas will still contribute to future planning studies.

Each entry in the bracket represents an element of the city's potential future. The bracket's four regions focus on different priorities: Neighborhood Destinations, Places to Live, Streets and Getting Around, and Open Spaces and Recreation. In total, there are 32 items within the bracket.

Participants proceed through each matchup by selecting their higher priority until they determine their "champion," which reflects their top priority for city development.

The Southwest Planning Area is defined by its boundaries with the Beltline, City of Fitchburg, and S. High Point Road. According to the 2020 Census data, this area houses approximately 36,837 people, with 37% identifying as BIPOC or Hispanic/Latinx.

The Southeast Planning Area is bounded by I-39/90, Siggelkow Road/Village of McFarland, Starkweather Creek/City of Monona, and Highway 30. This area is home to about 25,366 residents as per the 2020 Census data; 25.9% identify as BIPOC or Hispanic/Latinx.

Both Area Plans will provide recommendations based on categories outlined in Madison’s Comprehensive Plan: Land Use and Transportation; Neighborhoods and Housing; Economy and Opportunity; Culture and Character; Green and Resilient; Effective Government; Health and Safety.

Public kickoff meetings were held last November and December to outline the Area Plan process. These sessions allowed residents to interact with representatives from various city departments while gathering initial ideas for plan development. Further community engagement activities are planned for this spring and early summer through pop-up meetings at community events.

Residents interested in following developments or participating in future surveys can access more information or subscribe to email updates via project pages dedicated to both the Southwest Area Plan and Southeast Area Plan.