The City of Madison shared plans to convert part of State Street into an experimental pedestrian mall at a public meeting Monday.
The Common Council approved the experiment on Sept. 5, which will be located along the 400 to 600 blocks of State Street between Lake and Gorham Street, according to the city’s presentation. The blocks will be temporarily converted in summer 2024, and there is currently no determined end date for the experiment.
City of Madison planner Dan McAuliffe worked on the early plans to turn State Street into a pedestrian mall. He told The Daily Cardinal the project will not change existing streets and curbs and will be open for pedestrians and bikers to freely walk on the streets. All vehicle access will be prohibited except for emergency vehicles.
“We hope to improve the character of the space, resulting in a more active and vibrant State Street for businesses, residents and visitors,” McAuliffe said.
Plans include the addition of planter boxes, benches and street paintings to encourage pedestrian use of the public space and add character to the street. Selfie stations or photo frames will be available and incorporate the hashtag #FlockToState, according to McAuliffe.
District 8 Ald. MGR Govindarajan told the Cardinal he is excited to see changes made to State Street.
“The goal is to activate the area: road paintings, more places to sit and eat with friends, community areas for musicians and artists,” Govindarajan said. “State Street has always been a cultural icon within Madison. This experiment will explore ways to make it even better.”
District 2 Ald. Juliana Bennett hopes the experiment will create more diversity on State Street and draw in individuals of all backgrounds.
“[The] experiment will give current residents a sense of ownership of the space and bring in new users to the space,” Bennett said. “I envision a colorful and vibrant State Street with multicultural programming that encourages commerce of local and minority owned businesses.”
Additionally, gateway placemaking elements will illuminate the street to attract attention and create a “visual distinction for pedestrian blocks,” according to the presentation.
The project plans to include public art opportunities, including street performance and music stations.
“I think it's purely a quality of life change. Having a selfie station, being able to listen to local artists play music or sing, join in on local events … that will drastically improve the lives of students,” Govindarajan said.
One issue McAuliffe aims to address as the project moves forward is deliveries for businesses on State Street as vehicle access will be restricted. Kyle Herman, owner of touring company Madtown Gem, previously told the Cardinal he opposes the experiment due to the road closures blocking traffic and potentially harming his business.
“One of our next steps will be trying to find the best times to close the street to vehicles. Businesses will need deliveries, so some access is needed,” McAuliffe said. “Figuring out the hours of the pedestrian mall that balances vehicles and pedestrian times is important and could take some time.”
Current deliveries on State Street are prohibited between 11:30 a.m and 1:30 p.m. In his proposal, McAuliffe planned for pedestrians to be allowed in the streets at all times but carve out potential time options for service and delivery vehicles to be present.
Govindarajan included a specific clause that required any feedback to specifically be done on a timeline that works for student involvement.
“It's hard to predict the outcomes of this experiment, but one thing I'm looking forward to seeing is the engagement that'll be sought after,” Govindarajan said. “City staff cannot do large opinion gathering methods over summer or during finals, which is huge for student involvement.”
Next steps for the project include revising and finalizing design features, ordering furniture and equipment, determining hours of operation, coordinating with local artists and gaining approval from the Common Council, McAuliffe said. His goal is to open the pedestrian mall by UW-Madison graduation weekend in spring of 2024.
“We hope to continue improving the public spaces that surround all of us, and in doing so, improve the experiences we share,” McAuliffe said.
Marin Rosen is the City News Editor at The Daily Cardinal and a second-year journalism student. Throughout her time at the Cardinal, she's written articles for city and state news. Follow her on Twitter at @marin_rosen
