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Resources for the Madison Community
Madison stands with the families of Abundant Life community. This page is dedicated to connecting victims and the broader community to resources and accurate information about the tragic events that happened on December 16.
2025-2030 Park and Open Space Plan
July 2, 2024 Update
All Together, who are working with consultant MSA Professional Services, Inc. to conduct targeted outreach as part of the Park & Open Space Plan, have placed Wish Boxes throughout Madison to complement "pop up" events this summer. The Wish Boxes contain information about the Park & Open Space Plan and QR codes to surveys accessible at the links, below.
View past project updates »Project Details
Project Information
The City of Madison is updating the Park and Open Space Plan!
The purpose of the City of Madison Park and Open Space Plan is to guide and inform public parks policy and park facility decisions. The planning document is used by City Boards & Commissions, City agencies and staff, other agencies and municipalities, and interested residents and volunteers. It is developed by staff, professional consultants and volunteers. The plan seeks to be evidence-based and, as such, utilizes extensive public input, census data, park use records, and other monitoring databases. It is subject to public review and hearings and is adopted by the Board of Park Commissioners and Madison Common Council.
The 2025-2030 POSP update will be in progress throughout 2024, with an anticipated completion date of early 2025. Public input on the development of the plan will be available through surveys, open houses and focus group events. Comments may also be submitted directly to Parks using the contact information available on this page.
When available, a DRAFT of the 2025-2030 update will be available on this site.
BACKGROUND:
On October 30, 2018, the City of Madison Common Council adopted the 2018-2023 Park and Open Space Plan.
- The City of Madison owns over 280 parks totaling more than 5,700 acres of parkland and is responsible for maintenance of nearly 6,000 acres of public land. The Parks Division also plays a vital role in the development and policy making of over 1,000 acres of public land administered by the City of Madison Engineering for stormwater, bike paths and landfill purposes.
- The City of Madison parks are an integral component contributing to a quality living environment. Parks play a significant role in promoting community and contributing to the well-being and resilience of its residents.
- The Park and Open Space Plan (POSP) is updated periodically to adapt to and stay current with changing recreational trends, demographics, and park needs, as well as to reflect integration with the planning efforts of complementary City agencies, as well as, county and statewide efforts.
- The POSP satisfies DNR Chapter NR 50 and NR 51, Wisconsin administrative code requiring local municipalities to adopt a local comprehensive outdoor recreation plan to be eligible for several DNR administered funding programs.
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Project kick-off / open houses Completed
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Development by Parks staff & review of Issue Papers by Parks Long Range Planning Active
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Targeted outreach / focus groups by All Together Upcoming
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Survey development & mailing by UW Survey Center Completed
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Updates to maps, tables from previous POSP; review by Parks Long Range Planning Completed
Submit a Comment
That's a wrap! The Park and Open Space Plan Open Houses are now complete! We'll have a report-out from those sessions on our next update.
Miss the events or have a comment that you would like to submit anonymously? Please use the QR code to access or select the online comment area directly.
Our planning team will continue to seek community input through a series of focused outreach events hosted by All Together in late May and early June, and we hosting pop-up events this summer in conjunction with Parks Alive.