Goal: Madison will be a safe and welcoming city of strong and complete neighborhoods that meet the needs of all residents.
Goal: Madison will have a full range of quality and affordable housing opportunities throughout the City.
Strategy 1: Improve transit service, especially to peripheral employment and residential locations, with a focus on reducing the travel time for transit dependent populations.
Actions
- Pursue improvements to transit service in peripheral areas and adjacent municipalities.
- Consider implementing additional Madison Metro routes that more directly connect peripheral areas without traveling through Downtown.
- Prioritize improved service for transit-dependent populations when integrating Madison Metro routes and schedules with BRT.
Strategy 2: Implement bus rapid transit (BRT) to improve travel times, enhance reliability, and increase ridership.
Actions
- Build a new bus storage and maintenance facility to support an expanded bus fleet.
- Prepare detailed plans for BRT corridors to guide redevelopment and improve pedestrian and bicycle linkages.
- Integrate BRT-supportive features into street reconstruction and development projects along BRT corridors wherever feasible.
- Explore opportunities to use alternative methods to fund BRT infrastructure
Strategy 3: Ensure all populations benefit from the City's transportation investments.
Actions
- Use the City’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Initiative (RESJI) tools to inform major transportation projects.
- Partner with businesses and governmental entities to expand access to various money-saving transit pass programs.
- Pursue equitable distribution of amenities and traffic calming measures in street reconstruction projects throughout the city.
Strategy 4: Improve access to transit service to nearby cities, such as Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis.
Actions
- Support construction of an intercity bus terminal that is well-integrated with Madison Metro and future BRT.
- Work with WisDOT and local railroad operators to maintain the viability of existing rail corridors for future passenger rail operations both within the city and to adjoining metro areas.
- Continue to advocate for high speed rail connections to nearby metro areas with state officials.
Strategy 5: Concentrate the highest intensity development along transit corridors, downtown, and at Activity Centers.
Actions
- Implement Transit Oriented Development (TOD) overlay zoning along BRT and other existing and planned high-frequency transit service corridors to create development intensity minimums, reduce parking requirements, and support transit use.
- Ensure that redevelopment is well-integrated into adjacent low density residential areas.
- Facilitate the creation of Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) and implementation of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies to serve high-intensity development at Activity Centers and along major transit corridors.
- Prepare plans to transition auto-oriented commercial areas into mixed-use Activity Centers.
Strategy 6: Facilitate compact growth to reduce the development of farmland.
Actions
- Continue to update peripheral neighborhood development plans to increase allowable development intensity and create density minimums.
- Steer peripheral growth towards priority areas, with a focus on land already served by utilities.
- Accommodate a majority of growth through infill and redevelopment.
Strategy 7: Maintain downtown Madison as a major Activity Center for the region while improving access and inclusivity.
Actions
- Continue to use the City’s Affordable Housing Fund to support construction of affordable housing in and near downtown.
- Facilitate partnerships with community organizations to host more downtown events that attract a wider variety of demographic groups.
- Improve transit service to and from downtown outside of standard commuting hours.
- Develop and implement a park-and-ride plan to increase accessibility to downtown and the UW-Madison campus.
Strategy 8: Expand and improve the city’s pedestrian and bicycle networks to enable safe and convenient active transportation.
Actions
- Proactively fill gaps in the pedestrian and bicycle network.
- Continue to integrate pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements and amenities into new and reconstructed streets.
- Update the subdivision ordinance to ensure that new developments incorporate the City's planned shared-use path network.
- Develop and adopt a citywide pedestrian and bicycle plan that advocates for implementation of modern design principles while also moving towards a financially sustainable maintenance program.
Strategy 9: Implement new technologies to more efficiently use existing transportation infrastructure.
Actions
- Work with the Madison Area Transportation Planning Board (MATPB) and other entities to implement the Regional Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Plan for the Madison Metropolitan Area.
- Partner with UW-Madison and other entities to safely test and build transportation infrastructure that supports connected and autonomous vehicles.
- Use technology to enhance parking management systems.
- Evaluate emerging technologies for use in bridging “first mile/last mile” gaps in the transit system.
Goal: Madison will be a safe and welcoming city of strong and complete neighborhoods that meet the needs of all residents.
Goal: Madison will have a full range of quality and affordable housing opportunities throughout the City.
Strategy 1: Create complete neighborhoods across the city where residents have access to transportation options and resources needed for daily living.
Actions
- Plan for and facilitate mixed-use neighborhood centers featuring shops, services, employment, and a mix of housing types within and near single-use neighborhoods as identified in the Growth Priority Areas map.
- Plan for complete neighborhoods in developing areas on the city’s periphery to avoid the need to retrofit them in the future.
- Support the integration of a mix of housing types and neighborhood amenities near existing transit corridors and shared use paths.
- Ensure that existing and future neighborhoods are well served by transit, shared use paths, and sidewalks.
Strategy 2: Support development of a wider mix of housing types, sizes, and costs throughout the city.
Actions
- Include “Missing Middle” housing types within detailed sub-area plans.
- Encourage provision of life cycle housing choices by supporting lower priced or lower maintenance accessible housing options integrated into places with convenient transportation options.
- Continue to enable and encourage a variety of ownership and occupancy structures including co-housing, condominiums, and owner-occupied rentals.
Strategy 3: Increase the amount of available housing.
Actions
- Support substantial new housing opportunities by prioritizing planning efforts to transition underutilized, automobile-dominated commercial areas into complete neighborhoods and mixed-use Activity Centers.
- Explore adjustments to the number of dwelling units, building size, and height thresholds between permitted and conditional uses to increase the allowable density for residential buildings in mixed-use zoning districts and select residential zoning districts.
- Take a proactive approach to finding and marketing housing development opportunities to development partners.
- Explore the widespread replacement of residential density maximums with building height maximums outside of the downtown area.
Strategy 4: Integrate lower priced housing, including subsidized housing, into complete neighborhoods.
Actions
- Support the distribution of affordable housing throughout the city.
- Explore how TIF could be better utilized to fund affordable housing.
- Continue allocating money to the City’s Affordable Housing Fund.
- Continue to pursue a variety of county, state, and federal funding and public-private partnerships to support the development of affordable housing.
- Support and partner with non-profit organizations to preserve affordable housing for the long term.
Strategy 5: Provide housing options with health and social services for residents who need it most, including residents experiencing homelessness.
Actions
- Through partnerships, support organizations that provide temporary shelter and access to a full range of supportive services in or near affordable housing.
- Continue to support the provision of tenant resources and information about housing rights and options, especially for low-income households.
- Continue the permanent supportive housing program and monitor the success of the program in meeting the challenges of homelessness.
Strategy 6: Support the rehabilitation of existing housing stock, particularly for first-time homebuyers and people living with lower incomes.
Actions
- Increase programmed building inspections and enforcement activities for rental housing maintenance, prioritizing areas with vulnerable residents.
- Partner with MGE, the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Madison Water Utility, and others to provide incentives for rehabilitation, maintenance, and enhanced accessibility and sustainability of housing.
- Review the use of first time homeowner assistance programs, small cap tax incremental financing, and other similar rehabilitation and ownership programs.
Strategy 7: Support neighborhood-scaled schools that offer amenities and services to the surrounding area.
Actions
- Support development of neighborhood-scaled schools that serve the community while fitting within the context of the neighborhood.
- Ensure that Madison’s existing schools can remain strong and viable by supporting housing for families with children near existing and planned schools.
- Work with Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) and surrounding school districts to ensure school attendance areas reflect development patterns and account for planned growth areas.
- Support expansion of the MMSD “Community School” program.
Strategy 8: Ensure access to food that is affordable, nutritious, and culturally specific.
Actions
- Continue initiatives to support the introduction of neighborhood-serving grocery stores into under-served established neighborhoods.
- Identify public and private spaces suitable for community gardens and explore expansion of existing gardens to meet demand.
- Improve access to fresh foods by encouraging and facilitating the equitable distribution of farmers markets and farm stands.
- Encourage initiatives that support the emergency food system and facilitate donation of near-expired, but high-quality, foods.
Goal: Madison will have a growing, diversified economy that offers opportunity for businesses and residents to prosper.
Goal: Madison will have equitable education and advancement opportunities that meet the needs of each resident.
Strategy 1: Retain existing employers and attract new employers to ensure residents have access to jobs.
Actions
- Target Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) efforts toward our competitive advantage.
- Continue the Business Walk program.
- Support the siting of state government facilities within the City.
- Expand the City's TIF program to keep Madison regionally competitive and support small businesses.
Strategy 2: Ensure an adequate supply of sites for a wide variety of employers to operate and grow.
Actions
- Reserve sites for employment uses in City land use plans.
- Layer tools and incentives in specific geographic areas.
- Facilitate the reuse of Brownfield sites.
- Participate in site selection and site certification programs.
Strategy 3: Support more jobs that pay a family-supporting living wage.
Actions
- Continue the living wage for City employees and contractors.
- Leverage the Jobs TIF program to support living wage jobs.
- Pursue increases to Wisconsin's minimum wage.
Strategy 4: Close the educational opportunity gap.
Actions
- Continue to improve access to quality child care with an emphasis on underrepresented groups.
- Continue support for out of school time programming.
- Align City internships and initiatives with work-based learning opportunities for youth and young adults.
- Expand access to low-cost, high-speed internet service.
Strategy 5: Remove barriers to achieving economic stability.
Actions
- Continue support for neighborhood centers.
- Work with partners to better align efforts in job training and placement programs.
- Increase awareness of programs that build residents' financial capability.
Strategy 6: Support small businesses and cultivate entrepreneurship, especially businesses owned by underrepresented groups.
Actions
- Continue the Business Assistance Team.
- Continue development of underrepresented contractors.
- Continue support for business incubators.
- Establish a Kiva City crowdfunding program.
Strategy 7: Support efforts for businesses and consumers to produce and buy local food, products, and services.
Actions
- Foster a Northside Food Innovation District.
- Continue implementation of the Madison Public Market and MarketReady program.
- Expand the Street Vending program.
Strategy 8: City government should lead and encourage other employers to develop a diverse workforce best able to serve an increasingly diverse population.
Actions
- Continue the City’s Equitable Workforce program.
- Support community efforts to diversify Madison's workforce.
Goal: Madison will be a vibrant and creative city that values and builds upon its cultural and historic assets.
Goal: Madison will have a unique character and strong sense of place in its neighborhoods and the city as a whole.
Strategy 1: Create vibrant and inviting places through creative architecture and urban design.
Actions
- Prioritize placemaking as a way to focus on who and how public spaces will be used and designed throughout the city.
- Emphasize high quality human-scaled design in new buildings and public spaces.
- Use the City’s development review standards and processes to ensure that redevelopment and infill projects result in interesting, high-quality buildings and spaces and harmonious design relationships with older buildings.
- Update Urban Design Districts 1-6 and consider expanding urban design districts to redeveloping corridors.
Strategy 2: Preserve historic and special places that tell the story of Madison and reflect racially and ethnically diverse cultures and histories.
Actions
- Complete, adopt, and implement a Historic Preservation Plan as a framework for the future of Madison’s historic preservation program.
- Finish updating the Historic Preservation Ordinance by revising the standards for each of the local historic districts.
- Identify ways to retain older buildings that contribute to the special character of an area, or are associated with diverse cultures, through the adoption of sub-area plans prior to redevelopment pressures.
- Update the zoning code and height maps to better link the code with the City’s historic preservation plan and ordinance.
Strategy 3: Create safe and affirming community spaces that bring people together and provide social outlets for underrepresented groups.
Actions
- Identify existing underutilized spaces, both public and private, and help facilitate their increased usage and activation.
- Design a wide variety of new parks and public spaces in developing parts of the city for enjoyment by a broad range of users.
- Engage artists and talent to find positive ways for the City to improve its support of concerts, events, and gatherings, including encouraging music venues for a wider range of audiences.
Strategy 4: Balance the concentration of cultural and entertainment venues between the downtown and other areas of the city.
Actions
- Continue to implement Madison’s Cultural Plan and regularly update it to ensure it reflects Madison’s changing population.
- Promote cultural and music events in diverse neighborhoods where the whole community is welcome.
- Develop a streamlined protocol to set up temporary spaces for smaller events.
Strategy 5: Preserve defining views of the lakes, downtown skyline, and Capitol from publicly accessible locations.
Actions
- Adhere to the Maximum Building Heights Map and Views and Vistas Maps in the Downtown Plan.
- Conduct a viewshed study of the lakes, downtown skyline, and Capitol from vantage points within the city and beyond its borders and implement zoning restrictions to preserve these views.
Strategy 6: Integrate public art throughout the city.
Actions
- Continue to implement recommendations in the Public Art Framework and schedule a comprehensive revision of that plan to ensure it represents all segments of the community.
- Emphasize the equitable geographic distribution of City investment in public art.
- Incorporate art and the work of artists that reflects Madison’s cultural diversity and heritage at City facilities.
- Work with community partners to integrate art into their buildings and spaces.
Strategy 7: Provide opportunities to learn about, create, collaborate, and enjoy the arts.
Actions
- Promote and support a diverse array of local artists to increase their ability to flourish as creative professionals.
- Support the efforts of community partners to identify and implement art and creative activities that are open and accessible to the public.
- Work with educational institutions and community organizations to provide culturally relevant arts education for all groups and age ranges.
- Utilize artists in planning and other City processes to highlight the value of art as a cross-cultural communication tool.
Goal: Madison will be a leader in stewardship of our land, air, and water resources.
Goal: Madison will have a model park and open space system that preserves our significant natural features and offers spaces for recreation and bringing residents together.
Strategy 1: Protect Madison's water supply and infrastructure to provide safe, clean drinking water.
Actions
- Continue the accelerated water main replacement program and infrastructure renewal program.
- Expand education programs related to appropriate salt application.
- Pursue updates to the building code to expand use of rainwater harvesting and use of graywater for water conservation.
- Continue to partner with Project Home to help homeowners make water conservation upgrades.
Strategy 2: Improve lake and stream water quality.
Actions
- Partner with other entities to keep phosphorus and other pollutants out of the lakes.
- Increase frequency and efficiency of leaf collection and street sweeping to reduce phosphorus runoff.
- Further incentivize rain gardens and other types of green infrastructure.
- Continue adaptive stormwater management and erosion control to prepare for more intense rain events.
Strategy 3: Increase the use and accessibility of energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy.
Actions
- Implement the Energy Plan to reach the goal of 100% renewable and zero-net carbon emissions.
- Promote various financing tools to fund energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy.
- Partner with electrical utilities to increase renewable energy and provide education on the cost savings.
- Support infrastructure to expand the use of electric vehicles and other eco-friendly fuel sources.
Strategy 4: Acquire parkland and upgrade park facilities to accommodate more diverse activities and gatherings.
Actions
- Incorporate preferences specific to different cultures, age groups, and abilities in parks and open spaces.
- Pursue acquisition of parkland in areas planned for or which have had significant redevelopment.
- Increase connectivity between parks and open spaces through greenways and trails.
Strategy 5: Improve and preserve urban biodiversity through an interconnected greenway and habitat system.
Actions
- Enhance the capability of greenways and open spaces to support natural habitats.
- Integrate vegetation into the built environment, such as terrace plantings, living walls, and green roofs.
Strategy 6: Develop a healthy and diverse urban tree canopy.
Actions
- Continue to prioritize tree species diversity to create a resilient tree canopy.
- Work across agencies to increase the tree canopy.
- Review and update City policies, practices, and programs, and operations that impact the urban tree canopy.
Strategy 7: Improve public access to the lakes.
Actions
- Expand protected shoreline through the purchase of property or easements.
- Provide additional connections to and along the lakes.
- Prioritize water quality improvements at public beaches.
Strategy 8: Reduce landfilled waste.
Actions
- Establish a new westside full-service drop-off site for recyclables, hazardous materials, and yard waste.
- Establish a citywide food scrap recycling program.
- Create multi-lingual educational information about recycling and composting.
Strategy 9: Support sustainable farming and gardening practices that protect the ecosystem and public health.
Actions
- Work with partners to continue to support community gardens and associated infrastructure.
- Identify opportunities to support local food production within the City.
- Establish guidelines for sustainable agricultural best practices.
Goal: Madison will have efficient and reliable public utilities, facilities, and services that support all residents.
Goal: Madison will collaborate with other governmental and non-governmental entities to improve efficiency and achieve shared goals.
Strategy 1: Pursue regional solutions to regional issues.
Actions
- Strengthen the capacity of regional agencies to foster collaboration and consensus.
- Work with Dane County and adjacent communities to improve the quality of area lakes and preserve other natural resources and facilities.
- Work with Dane County and other municipalities to develop a regional food systems plan.
Strategy 2: Collaborate with State and local officials to create a regional transit authority to enhance public transit in the Madison area.
Action
- Collaborate with area municipalities and businesses to make the case for the creation of a regional transit authority.
Strategy 3: Locate community facilities to provide a high level of service to all neighborhoods.
Actions
- Create a long-range facilities plan to guide the siting of City facilities.
- Co-locate community facilities to improve service provision and reduce capital and operating costs.
- Establish partnerships with other entities to improve service delivery and reduce duplicative services.
Strategy 4: Work with area municipalities and regional entities to preserve long-term options for efficient City expansion.
Actions
- Meet with area municipalities to share and discuss community goals and growth plans.
- Work closely with Capital Area Regional Planning Commission and Dane County on regional planning.
- Continue to enter into intergovernmental plans and agreements with neighboring municipalities when it is beneficial to do so.
- Continue to use the City’s extraterritorial review authority to limit unsewered, low density development on the City’s periphery.
Strategy 5: Ensure that new development occurs in locations that can be efficiently served to minimize costs on the community as a whole.
Actions
- Use the Comprehensive Plan and sub-area plans to guide development towards areas that can be efficiently served.
- Use the urban service area process to guide development to areas that can be served best.
- Be judicious with outward expansion of utilities and community facilities.
Strategy 6: Improve accessibility to government agencies and services.
Actions
- Provide language translation and interpretation to meet the needs of residents.
- Consider new technology and systems, such as a 311 system for people to efficiently communicate with the City.
- Explore expanded office hours and satellite facilities to accommodate customers with varying work schedules or those who rely on transit.
Strategy 7: Ensure that the City of Madison government is transparent and accountable.
Actions
- Provide information on City operations and initiatives through Results Madison and other mechanisms.
- Use customer satisfaction surveys to gain feedback on City services.
- Engage city residents by providing meaningful opportunities for participation in decisions that affect their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.
- Provide a wide range of opportunities for involvement in planning and decision making, with targeted access and inclusion of underrepresented populations.
Strategy 8: Continue to build better relationships between police officers and the diverse communities they serve.
Actions
- Continue outreach programs that develop connections with individual residents and the community.
- Increase avenues for community feedback and influence in police practices.
- Continue Madison Police Department training in cultural competency.
Strategy 9: Ensure all neighborhoods are clean and safe through the provision of quality non-emergency services.
Actions
- Raise awareness of the City's Report-a-Problem service to increase use and quickly address resident concerns.
- Continue to pursue innovation and efficiency in the provision of core city services.