Paul Soglin: Waxing America

More Accolades for Madison

I am happy to share more national recognition for Madison, this one from USA Today.

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2012/10/11/madison-wisconsin-best-college-football-town/1628263/

 Just another reminder of the many ways residents and visitors can enjoy our city, its parks, lakes, attractions, restaurants, and people.  Enjoy the day!

Join Us At Madison's Neighborhood Conference

 On October 13, Madison will host a citywide neighborhood conference that will  focus on placemaking, and how we can make, or improve, great spaces within our neighborhoods.  Fred Kent, President of Project for Public Spaces is visiting us from NYC. He’s a no nonsense guy who strips away all of the “can’ts” about transforming places and instead focuses on the “how to’s” of creating great environments for neighbors, businesses, and the community.

Don’t think placemaking is just about making a place look good.  Placemaking is more important than ever to our economy, community safety, and desirability as a place to live or start up a business because:  

• An increasingly mobile workforce seeks out livable neighborhoods before finding jobs and starting up businesses.  
• When 'legitimate' use of a space doesn't take place, quite often, less desirable activities will take over. Deliberate placemaking can help turn a place around.
• Re-thinking how space is used is key.  Vacant storefronts, underutilized properties, or paved streets can be activated in ways that can to bring people together and enliven an area.

 Can Madison re-imagine some of our public spaces?  Let’s figure out what we can do to transform community and neighborhood spaces. Creative, wild ideas welcomed.  Register at http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/neighborhoodconference/ .

I look forward to seeng you on October 13th.  Let's work together to make this city an even better place to live, work and raise a family.