Draft 2025-2030 Parks and Open Spaces Plan

Madison loves its plans. New neighborhoods tend to strongly resemble the plans that preceded them, and long-planned projects have a way of sticking around and finding their way into the budget or City policy. In my mind, that makes the development of these plans a tremendously important process.

Madison Parks staff have been working very hard since at least 2023 to get a ton of input from Madison residents - there’s even a chapter in the Plan about the engagement strategies. Through this process they collected information about the many ways that we use City parkland, understand what the community values in parkland, and identify strategies to continue providing excellent conservation and recreation service levels in our parks as we navigate a growing and ageing population and a changing climate. The resulting Parks and Open Spaces Plan (POSP) document is a resource rich in information about our parks and provides an thoughtful vision for what the parks system should look like in five years.

The Board of Park Commissioners will discuss and vote on approval of the draft 2025-2030 Parks and Open Spaces Plan as a supplement to the Madison Comprehensive Plan in its next meeting: Wednesday, August 13th (item 11 on the Commission's posted agenda).

Image credit: Madison Parks

Excerpts From the Executive Summary

“Madison residents have recognized the importance of park and open spaces for over 130 years. Parks serve an important role in the community’s ecosystem and provide opportunities for residents to connect with the area’s natural resources. Parks also improve the physical, mental and social well-being of the city’s residents and are an important part of the cultural fabric of the community. Well-planned and programmed parks create gathering spaces and recreational opportunities with fewer barriers for residents. Today, the City of Madison Parks Division has over 290 parks and manages 5,700 acres of park land, and over 95% of residents live within a 10-minute walk from a park.

The 2025-2030 Park and Open Space Plan (POSP) serves as the Parks Division’s five-year strategic plan. The POSP was developed under the guidance and oversight of the Parks Long Range Planning Subcommittee and [will likely be] approved by the Board of Park Commissioners. The POSP is adopted as a supplement to the City of Madison Comprehensive Plan and is required for participation in state and federal grant programs. An analysis of park land inventory was completed, and the POSP incorporates public feedback received, analyzes park use and trends in recreation, and takes into account overall City, County and State planning efforts to determine park and recreation needs for the community.”

[…]

“The 2025-2030 POSP provides a roadmap for addressing the many challenges faced by the park system. The recommended strategies and actions build on those from the 2018-2023 POSP and incorporate feedback, trends, and data gathered through - out this planning process. The recommended strategies of the plan are aligned with the 7 elements of a great city as identified in the Comprehensive Plan. 2025-2030 POSP recommended strategies call for Madison Parks to:

• Increase connectivity between parks to enhance access.
• Reduce parkland deficiencies and respond to increasing residential density.
• Create welcoming and inclusive park spaces and programming.
• Foster meaningful connections with groups and organizations that advance the vision of the Parks Division.
• Improve public access to lakes and waterways.
• Protect and celebrate the community’s cultural richness.
• Protect and enhance natural resources.
• Improve the park system’s capacity to adapt to environmental challenges.
• Develop new parks and amenities in a fiscally sustainable manner.
• Secure sufficient resources to sustain service levels across the growing and changing park system.
• Pursue regional solutions to regional issues.
• Promote the physical and social health of the diverse community.

Madison Parks has a long legacy of striving for and achieving excellence. Existing resources and practices are not sufficient to maintain existing service levels and continue to build the park system of tomorrow. In order to accomplish the strategies and corresponding actions set forth in this plan, Parks Division staff, policymakers, and stakeholders must take action, think creatively, and leverage the power of partnerships.”

Contents of the Parks and Open Spaces Plan

Major topics of the Plan are covered as chapters:

1. Introduction
2. City of Madison Planning Considerations
3. Parkland Inventory
4. Engagement Strategies and Recreation Facility Demand
5. Assessment of Outdoor Recreation Needs
6. Parks Funding
7. Recommended Strategies

Please see the draft Parks and Open Spaces Plan document to review the contents of these chapters. I found Chapter 6, Parks Funding, to be the most interesting and very informative.

Appendix list with more detailed supplemental information (here’s a link to the full appendices)

1. ADA Accessibility
2. Common Council Resolution Adopting the POSP
3. Historic Resources
4. Additional Maps
5. Ongoing Initiatives
6. Madison Park Facilities
7. Community Engagement Summary Data
8. Athletic Organization Engagement Summary
9. Parks Division 2025 Adopted Budget
10. State Grant Opportunities
11. Trust for Public Land ParkScore Overview