State Street Experiment
2024 Pedestrian Mall Experiment
In June 2023, Metro Transit shifted bus routes off the 400-600 blocks of State Street. This started a community conversation about new possibilities in that space. Many community members pointed to examples like Pearl Street in Boulder, CO or Church Street in Burlington, VT. The Downtown Coordinating Committee discussed possibilities with City agencies, businesses, and neighborhood groups.
On September 5, 2023, the Common Council passed RES-23-00554. The resolution directed Planning Division staff to create a temporary pedestrian mall for summer of 2024. Staff created a design concept and presented it on December 4, 2023 (presentation and video).
On May 8, 2024, a ribbon tying event closed the street to traffic and open it to people. During the summer, the street was closed to vehicles after 3:00pm on weekdays and 10:00am on weekends. The pedestrian mall experiment, known as #FlocktoState, featured a flamingo theme. The plastic pink flamingo is the City's official bird, and they cover Bascom Hill every spring
The pedestrian mall included:
- New benches & planters
- Six foot tall pink flamingo sculptures
- Street murals by Jessica Gutierrez, Sharon Bjyrd, Rahul Kamath, and Taylor McAda
- Stencils by Maeve Makielski
The resolution creating the Pedestrian Mall Experiment required staff to report back to the Common Council on the findings and outcomes of the experiment. That report was accepted by the Common Council on March 25, 2025. The Common Council only authorized the Pedestrian Mall Experiment for 2024 and must approve extending the experiment or any permanent changes to State Street.
Contact:
Dan McAuliffe
dmcauliffe@cityofmadison.com
608-261-9676