Madison Reporter

The City of Madison's Planning Division has concluded its "Madison Madness" bracket-style community engagement survey, which amassed over a thousand responses. This survey, wrapping up on April 7, 2025, aimed to prompt community members to consider various aspects of future planning they might have previously overlooked.

Staff have been occupied with analyzing these responses and compiling feedback, which is now accessible on the dedicated web pages for the Southeast and Southwest Area Plans. The summary report provides detailed voting percentages across different planning aspects featured in the survey. However, "there is no 'winner,'" as all elements discussed remain integral to future plans, ensuring no aspect is excluded or deprioritized.

"Madison Madness" served as a tool to fuel discussion on city-wide priorities and neighborhood specifics. Its format was deliberately crafted to simplify participation, thus drawing in individuals who might typically abstain from such engagement. By capturing nearly 1,400 responses, this survey delivered a volume of feedback surpassing previous outreach initiatives carried out by the Planning Division.

The published results report also incorporates more than 250 comments from survey participants. These insights allow individuals to express their voting motivations or identify additional priorities they value, though they might not have voted for them. The comments are categorized based on feedback from the Southeast and Southwest planning areas and the rest of the city.