Downtown Area Plan
How do you Envision Downtown Madison?
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Downtown is a heart in our region and a major economic center for the city. Madison is at a pivotal moment in its history, poised to experience significant population growth, economic expansion, and evolving dynamics in how people live, work, and experience the downtown over the next 20 years. Fueled by growth in sectors like technology, biosciences, healthcare, finance, and real estate, Madison’s economy has become more diverse and increasingly reliant on private-sector business and industry. The City’s residents and workforce are also changing with younger, more diverse populations playing a key role in shaping the future. This growth is positive, and we are working together today to manage and direct that growth for Madison’s long-term success.
Envision Downtown Madison is a strategic partnership between the City of Madison and Downtown Madison, Inc that will guide the future of downtown. It’s comprised of two separate but coordinated efforts: the City of Madison’s Downtown Area Plan and the Greater Downtown Economic Investment Strategy (or simply, the Downtown Strategy). The Downtown Area Plan will guide future growth, public policy and investments, and will build off the success of the 2012 Downtown Plan. Led by DMI, the Downtown Strategy will focus on opportunities for long-term investment in downtown that ensure growth is viable, sustainable and inclusive.
Through coordinated planning, extensive stakeholder engagement, short-term action, and aligned long-term investments that leverage public and private sector strengths, Envision Downtown Madison aims to support a thriving economy and position the city as a national leader in thoughtful, balanced urban development.
Get Engaged
The best way to stay up to date on the Downtown Area Plan is to join the email list. The list is our primary way of announcing meetings and communicating other project updates for the Downtown Area Plan. Note that Downtown Madison Inc maintains a separate email list for their Downtown Strategy.
Do you have an idea for something in the Downtown? Is there an issue that needs to be addressed? Let us know on our Downtown Ideas Map.
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Plan Area and Info
The Downtown Area Plan will cover the area between Park and Blair Streets and Lake Mendota and Monona. Its roughly 700 acres is home to 34,000 residents and over 60,000 jobs.
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Why Plan?
A lot has changed since 2012, when the City last planned for the Downtown. Madison is projected to grow by about 100,000 people in the next 20-25 years and most recent growth was focused on the Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Bus Rapid Transit has made Downtown more accessible to the entire city. A new Amtrak station could be a reality in the coming years. There's a lot of change coming to State of Wisconsin office buildings. And the University of Wisconsin continues to grow.
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Meetings and Events
All meeting materials will also be posted here.
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Process and Timing
The plan development process is anticipated to take approximately 18 months and be completed by spring 2027. The plan is anticipated to have three distinct phases. Issues, Opportunities, and Goals is the first phase. Public engagement will focus on understanding perspectives about the future of Downtown. Beginning in Spring of 2026, staff will begin to present Initial Draft Recommendations. Finally, the Draft Plan Review and Approval should occur in early 2027.
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Project Resources
Subscribe to Email List
Events and Meetings
Envision Downtown Madison Kick Off Meeting
When: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 @ 6:00 pm
Where: Madison Concourse Hotel (1 W Dayton St) and Zoom
Please register in advance to help us anticipate the number of participants.