Frequently Asked Questions

The Comprehensive Plan is a document that guides City decision-making and investment. The Plan looks years into the future and seeks opportunities to address long term issues, but focuses on action steps for the City’s near-term efforts.

The Plan’s recommendations are intended to:

• Create a collective vision for a future Madison.
• Establish priorities for public investment, including the City’s Operating Budget, Capital Budget, and five- year Capital Improvement Program.
• Inform policies that guide City decision-making.
• Align the work of City Agencies around the issues that matter most to our residents and stakeholders.
• Create a framework for topic-specific plans and initiatives that will expand on the Comprehensive Plan’s recommendations.
• Guide private development through the Generalized Future Land Use Map and Growth Priority Areas map.
• Foster partnerships with other entities to address shared goals.

Let us know what you or your organization is doing to implement the Comprehensive Plan's vision for Madison. Fill out this short form. Email us. Share a post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tag Imagine Madison. We'll then share your post so others can see your contribution to the community.

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Send us an email: imaginemadison@cityofmadison.com

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This community-wide effort was coordinated by the City’s Planning Division, with input from residents and a diverse array of stakeholders, including the Plan Commission, staff from City agencies, and other public agencies.

As a policy document, the Plan lays out general guidance for future City actions. Many of those actions are addressed in shorter-range, more detailed plans developed by other City departments that focus on a particular aspect of City services, such as parks or transportation. The City also implements the Plan through development regulations, primarily found in the City’s zoning map and code and the Generalized Future Land Use Map. We hope that other users, such as property owners, community organizations, and developers, will also use the plan to support our shared vision of an equitable, sustainable, resilient, and healthy city.