Strongest Town Contest

Population: 269,800

Notes from the Nominators

What makes your town special? Tell us about the landscape, the urban design, the culture, the people, or anything else that sets your place apart.

Madison is one of two major cities built on an isthmus in the United States. This makes our built environment unique. Our two lakes create a foundational, close-knit center, but they also make it easier to sprawl when growth is left unchecked or when barriers arise.

Home to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the “Wisconsin Idea” (https://www.wisc.edu/wisconsin-idea/) permeates from university halls into the city. The idea holds that the benefits of knowledge and education should spread throughout the state. Many of us are driven to make our neighborhoods and communities better places. That starts with observation and continues through a commitment to constant improvement.

In a Strong Town, neighbors work in collaboration with city technical staff and elected officials to address the community's needs. How are neighbors in your town getting involved and making an impact?

Madisonians helped conduct a Crash Analysis Studio in 2024 that later received additional attention from the city’s Transportation Commission. City staff walked the site, made improvements and stayed engaged. Staff members joined our monthly meetings to answer questions, worked with residents to discuss potential housing improvements, and recommended Madisonians for vacant commission positions to expand our influence.

Residents also hosted a Park(ing) Day in collaboration with a local business. Other advocacy groups learned about the regulatory hurdles involved in organizing this type of event, which will hopefully increase the number of future events and reduce barriers citywide.

Strong Towns don't wait for the perfect time or for a cash infusion to take action. Tell us about a time when people in your town observed a struggle your community experienced, and addressed that struggle swiftly, using the tools at hand.

In a key safety development, after a car crashed into a local business for the third time, Madisonians worked with the Transportation Commission and City staff to accelerate a pilot program to remove “peak-hour” lanes. The test was implemented at 80% of the normal cost and two years earlier than expected, thanks to consistent community input encouraging flexibility.

As a result, the pilot became permanent, and the City is looking at other streets to close “peak-hour” lanes.

Timeline:

Car crash: May 2, 2025

Neighborhood association comments: June 16, 2025
Transportation Commission agenda item: June 23, 2025
Transportation Commission agenda item: Aug. 13, 2025
Initial test framework proposed with consultant: 2027
Transportation Commission agenda item: Aug. 27, 2025
Revised test framework approved without consultant: Aug. 27, 2025
Test removal began: Sept. 9, 2025
Test removal paused while maintaining existing conditions: Oct. 24, 2025
Transportation Commission approved permanent testing conditions, removing peak-hour lanes: Nov. 5, 2025

What about your town inspires you to keep working to make it stronger?

Madison is a city of opportunity that punches above its weight. Whether in education, business, the arts or any other important aspect of living, Madisonians strive to do better, not at the expense of others but to continue improving this special place.

We will likely never be the best at one thing, but we see the value in working to improve many things. As we grow, we bring people on board to help shape a different path than most growing cities have taken, one that makes us prosperous and resilient for the generations of Madisonians ahead of us.