Development

(Entrance to the Duck Pond/Courtesy of Channel3000) 

United Way of Dane County will begin its 2017 fundraising campaign on Aug. 22 when it hosts a kickoff event at the Madison Mallards’ Duck Pond.

The late-summer event will be the first of the organization’s “Season of Caring” initiative, and the nonprofit is hoping to bring together more than 500 volunteers at Warner Park, according to a United Way of Dane County statement.

The city of Madison will debut a new interactive map for bicyclists and pedestrians in late summer or early fall. The map is part of an effort to facilitate traffic and improve the channels for public feedback, and city officials provided an update on its progress during a meeting in late June.  

 “The map is a tool for pedestrians to use to make their own suggestions and see what other people have suggested,” said Jose Navarro, engineering aide for the city of Madison. “The city can use it to see what citizens are saying so they know how to respond to them.”

At least as far back as ancient Greece and its Agora, democratic assembly occurred in open public space. People gathered at the Agora to shop, talk, make friendships, relax and refresh. What has that got to do with using the bus in Madison? 

Lots. Because in the last half century, shopping centers have separated the commercial from the noncommercial reasons for congregating and also at least passively separated bus riders from the rest of the public. Is it time for a change?

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