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Mayor's Office

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  1. City of Madison
  2. Mayor's Office
  3. Mayor's Priorities
  4. Food
  5. Community Gardens

Community Gardens

The City of Madison believes that community gardens can improve equitable access to multiple social, environmental and health assets:

  1. Increase access to safe, healthy and culturally appropriate food;
  2. Assure safe and available land for individuals to grow food; and
  3. Provide accessible public spaces that increase social connectedness and cohesion, particularly for lower-income, minority and immigrant community members.

The City of Madison provides support through coordination across all city departments that believe in the power of gardens to transform neighborhoods by making public land available (half of all community gardens in Madison are located on city-owned land) and offering logistical support in garden infrastructure:

Community Garden

  • Parks Department
  • Streets Department
  • Public Health Madison and Dane County
  • Community Development Division
  • Mayor's Office

The Gardens Network

The City of Madison supports community gardens by funding and participating in the Gardens Network, a partnership of Dane County UW-Extension, the City of Madison, and Community GroundWorks.

Community GroundWorksUW ExtensionCity of Madison

The day-to-day operations of the program are housed at Community Groundworks. Learn more about the day-to-day operations.

The Community Gardens Partnership will reach far beyond the core partners to include the vast array of organizations, systems, municipalities, initiatives, and programs working on community food issues. As the partnership expands, the participation and scope will naturally expand.

Community Garden

Purpose

Research indicates community gardens can support increases in social capital, foster health and well-being, build on existing assets, and develop sustainable ecology. Community gardens create this range of benefits at the individual, family, and neighborhood levels.

Mission

We connect people in Dane County with access to the space, education and resources to create and sustain gardens that foster food, engagement and opportunity.

Vision

We envision diverse, productive, self-sustaining gardens that have strong leaders and communities connected by a shared purpose, by a sense of belonging and by a deep socio-cultural understanding.

Goals

  1. Greater access to healthy food
  2. Community engagement and empowerment
  3. Neighborhood development
  4. Placemaking
  5. Leadership development
  6. Sustainable land management and stewardship
  7. Youth development and employment

Priorities

  • Building Neighborhoods
  • Culture & Creativity
  • Food
    • 2018 Summer Food Program
    • Community Gardens
      • Committee on Community Gardens
      • Hill Farms Area Community Garden Site Project
    • Double Dollars Program
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Edible Landscapes Permit Process
    • Healthy Food Retail & Underserved Neighborhoods
      • Food Access Improvement Map
      • Healthy Retail Access Program
      • Mapa de mejora del acceso a los alimentos
      • Programa de Acceso a Puntos de Venta Minorista de Alimentos Saludables 2015
    • Madison Food Policy Council
      • Food Waste Reduction Taskforce
      • Pollinator Protection Task Force
    • Public Market District
    • SEED Grants
    • Terrace and Yard Plantings
  • Racial Equity & Social Justice
  • Transport & Access
    • Smart Madison
  • Youth
    • Madison-area-Out-of-School Time (MOST) Initiative

Mayor's Office

Mayor's Office
210 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Room 403
Madison, WI 53703
  • Contact the Mayor
  • Phone: (608) 266-4611
  • Fax: (608) 267-8671
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