Plans
The City of Madison's adopted plans can be found using the interactive map or links below.
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Citywide Plans: policy documents with generalized recommendations
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Area Plans: 12 planning areas focusing on general recommendations
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Neighborhood Plans: focus on established residential areas
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Special Area Plans: specific sites or areas likely to change
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Neighborhood Development Plans: guide new peripheral growth
Citywide Plans
Comprehensive Plan (2024)
The Comprehensive Plan establishes the long-term growth framework for the City, with broad policy recommendations and urban development strategies.
Transportation
Transportation plans, including Madison in Motion and the Bus Rapid Transit study, can be found at the Department of Transportation.
Historic Preservation Plan (2020)
The City's Historic Preservation Plan was developed to celebrate and preserve the places that represent Madison’s collective histories. It provides guidance for development proposals, capital improvements, and implementation to ensure preservation is integrated into both long-range planning and current development projects. The plan recommends strategies and tools to 1) more effectively lead and integrate historic preservation into public policy, 2) utilize existing land use, zoning, and development standards to support preservation, 3) explore educational and promotion partnerships, 4) capitalize on economic development and financial incentives, 5) highlight sustainable building practices, and 6) encourage heritage tourism.
Cultural Plan (2013)
The 2013 Madison Cultural Plan explores the arts, history, and the sciences. It focuses on the work of individual artists, creative workers, and institutions in the commercial and non-profit sectors. The plan intentionally defines culture broadly. It includes individuals and organizations who are students, amateurs, and professionals working in varied fields. These fields include: artisan food production, digital production, architecture, history and heritage, environmental programming, and more.
Area Plans
The City has established a Planning Framework to simplify Madison’s area planning and make it more equitable. Over the next decade 12 Area Plans will be developed to cover the entire city and future growth areas. The plans will focus on guiding changes to the physical aspects of our community, such as development initiated by the private sector and infrastructure improvements typically carried out by the public sector. Each Area Plan process provides an opportunity to consider older sub-area plans for retirement to reduce the number of outdated and overlapping plans. After the 12 Area Plans are established, they will be updated each decade to reflect an ever-changing city and keep Plan recommendations in sync with other City initiatives.
| Webpage | Estimated Timeframe | Adopted Plan |
| Northeast | Adopted September 2024 | Northeast Area Plan |
| West | Adopted September 2024 | West Area Plan |
| Southwest | November 2024-early 2026 | |
| Southeast | December 2024-early 2026 |
Neighborhood Plans
Neighborhood plans serve as a guide for actions and changes to strengthen Madison's established neighborhoods and how to best accommodate anticipated growth. Plan topics include land use, zoning, mobility, housing, community services, economic development, historic preservation, urban design, open space, health, safety, and infrastructure.
- Allied-Dunn's Marsh (1990)
- Allied-Dunn's Marsh-Belmar (2005)
- Arbor Hills-Leopold (2013)
- Bay Creek (1991)
- Brentwood Village-Packers-Sherman Village (1996)
- Brittingham-Vilas (1989)
- Broadway-Simpson (1986)
- Darbo Worthington Starkweather (2017)
- Emerson-East-Eken Park-Yahara (2016)
- Greenbush (2008)
- Greenbush-Vilas Neighborhood (2010)
- Hiestand (2006)
- Hoyt Park Area (2014)
- Marquette-Schenk-Atwood (1994)
- Midvale Heights-Westmorland (2009)
- Mifflandia (2019) (CITYZINE - Social Practice Art Engagement)
- Northport-Warner Park-Sherman (2009)
- Regent Street-South Campus (2008)
- Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Worthington (2000)
- South Madison (2005) South Madison (2022)
- Southwest (2008)
- Tenney-Lapham (2008)
- Triangle Monona Bay (2019)
Special Area Plans
Special area plans focus on specific areas likely to see growth or change in the near future or have a unique functional use like downtown, a transit station area, the airport, and other employment or activity centers.
- Bassett Neighborhood Master Plan (1997)
- Central Park (2011)
- Cottage Grove Road (2017)
- Downtown Plan (2012)
- East Rail Corridor (2004)
- East Washington Avenue Capitol Gateway Corridor (2008)
- East Washington Gateway Revitalization - BUILD (2003)
- East Washington Old East Side Master Plan - BUILD (2000)
- First Settlement Neighborhood Master Plan (1995)
- Lamp House Block (2025)
- Marquette Neighborhood Center (2000)
- Milwaukee Street (2018)
- Monroe Street Commercial District (2007)
- Oscar Mayer (2020)
- Park Street Urban Design Guidelines (2004)
- Royster Clark (2009)
- Schenk-Atwood Neighborhood Business District Master Plan (2001)
- Stoughton Road Revitalization Project
- University Avenue Corridor (2014)
- Williamson Street Design Guidelines (2004)
- Wingra Creek BUILD (2006)
- University of Wisconsin Campus Master Plan*
* Campus plans are not created by the City of Madison and are provided for reference. The City approves these as part of the Campus Institutional (CI) zoning districts applicable to campus areas.
Neighborhood Development Plans
Neighborhood development plans address the growth and development of the City's peripheral urban expansion areas where development is expected to occur in the foreseeable future.
- Blackhawk (2006)
- Cherokee (2007)
- Cottage Grove (2006)
- Cross Country (1998)
- Elderberry (2018)
- Felland (2002)
- High Point - Raymond (2017)
- Junction (2018)
- Marsh Road (1999)
- Midtown (2011)
- Nelson (2019)
- Northeast Neighborhood (2009)
- Pioneer (2018)
- Pumpkin Hollow (2008)
- Rattman (2023)
- Reiner (2023)
- Shady Wood (2023)
- Sprecher (2012)
- Yahara Hills (2022)
Intergovernmental Agreements
Peripheral growth often occurs in the context of an intergovernmental agreement with neighboring communities. A summary map of the City's intergovernmental agreements and cooperative plans is available as a PDF and an interactive map. The text of adopted intergovernmental agreements can be found below:
- Town of Burke, Village of DeForest, City of Sun Prairie and City of Madison Cooperative Plan
- Town of Blooming Grove and City of Madison Cooperative Plan
- City of Madison and Town of Middleton Cooperative Plan
- City of Madison and Ho Chunk Nation
- City of Madison and Village of McFarland (expired)
- City of Madison and City of Middleton
- City of Madison, City of Fitchburg and Town of Madison Cooperative Plan
- City of Madison and Town of Cottage Grove
Archived Plans
Archived plans are previously adopted plans that address the same geography as more recently adopted Area Plans. Archived plans are no longer used to guide development proposals and approvals, or other City planning and decision-making processes. They are made available as historical resources.
- Carpenter-Ridgeway (2001)
- East Towne-Burke Heights (1987)
- Greater East Towne Area Plan (2022)
- Hanson Road (2021)
- Hawthorne-Truax (2023)
- Odana Area Plan (2021)
- Ridgewood East Central Development (2002)
- Spring Harbor (2006)
- University Hill Farms (2016)
Last Updated: 03/26/2025