16 N. Carroll Street
Suite 840
Madison, WI 53703-2726
(608) 280-0360
Fax (608) 280-0361

info@wi-ei.org

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WISCONSIN ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE
presents the
Madison Green Map

"Maps hold a magic that is anything but technical. Maps are a human attempt to represent the incredible complexities of space and time." -- Doug Aberley in Boundaries of Home

What is it?

Understanding the ecological status of our planet today is too overwhelming for most people, but the condition of our cities and towns is more readily graspable and changeable. As half of humanity will live in cities by the year 2000, our goal is to strengthen urban eco-assets and resources by promoting them to residents and visitors alike.

Maps organize information in a resource-efficient, visually compelling manner familiar to most segments of the population. Maps give fresh perspectives, a personal connection to place, and lead them to new experiences. Printed maps are inexpensive, portable and look great when hung up. Internet maps take virtual travelers everywhere.

There are now Green Mapmaking teams active in 20 cities, 12 countries and on 5 continents! To date, Copenhagen and Athens, Georgia Green Maps have been printed on paper, while Gouda and Utrecht in the Netherlands have published maps on the Internet.

The Madison Green Map (MGM) is an attempt by interested local parties to join this local-global collaboration. Once completed, the MGM will chart our community’s unique mix of ecologically-oriented, socially responsible places, resources, systems, businesses and projects.

Using the Green Map System’s How-to-Guide and its accompanying Internet site, the project team will research, define and select green sites for inclusion on the map; receive comment and input from the broad spectrum of community stakeholders; design the map using the system supplied green site icons; and print, market/publicize, and distribute the MGM. It will first be printed on paper, then published on the Internet and linked to the Green Map System.

What will be on the Madison Green Map?

The map will illustrate both natural and man-made sites, emphasizing the interconnections between both types of environments. It will also include areas of opportunity which could serve as ecological sites in the future. Sites will be either iconographic, linear or areal in nature.

  • Icons:  Green businesses and services, Stores carrying green products, farmers markets, organic grocers, vegetarian and natural food restaurants, historical features, bird and wildlife watching sites, outdoor recreation areas, land forms/geological features, community gardens, star-gazing and sunset sites, scenic vistas, cultural/historical resources, social/political resources, significant environmental organizations, environmental centers and schools, solar energy sites, renewable technology sites, recycling centers, waste water treatment facilities, municipal composting, energy grid facilities, brownfields and remediated sites.
  • Linear Patterns: Major transportation routes and congested areas, bike paths, nature trails, historic rustic roads, best urban walking paths, utility corridors, rail corridors, environmental corridors, rivers and tributaries.
  • Areal Patterns: Wetlands, park lands, forests and woodlands, prairies, farmlands, the E-way system, neighborhoods.

What is the desired result?

The objectives of the Madison Green Map are numerous:

  • Environmental Stewardship: The first objective is to develop the community’s interest in local environmental stewardship and elicit their active involvement in the creation of the green map. It will do so by raising the awareness of our natural environment through simple suggestions natural retreats within the urban area, while also suggesting what needs to be preserved (i.e. conservancies, parklands, rich farmlands, environmental corridors, clean water) and what could be created (i.e. more green businesses and services, brownfields redevelopment, parkland acquisition, community gardens). The MGM will then serve as a baseline for future community greening initiatives. (Urban Open Spaces)
  • Land Use Planning: Communities lack a comprehensive understanding of their environmental resources and the mechanism to protect them or plan for the future. Green Maps provide a fresh approach by not only identifying these features, but present them in a unified format which is easily understood by all segments of a community. The map will use information from the Dane County Regional Planning Commission and the City of Madison combined with computer technology to show patterns of infrastructure, environmental resources, farmlands and patterns of growth. All of this information will be synthesized on one map for the first time. It can then become a tool to encourage a democratic approach to urban planning, and lead the Madison area to make policy changes towards sustainability. (Citizens and local leaders can then determine where growth will best be managed to preserve the quality of life in the region.)
  • Education: Educators at all levels will find applications of the map. Edgewood College is already exploring opportunities to use the map and its concepts both in and outside the classrooms. Regional center for sustainable design. Yahara and Huron Networks. Environmental Education Centers. MEEC. Jim Lorman’s Conference. Library kiosks concept
  • Eco-nomics: The MGM promotes the integration of environmental protection and economic prosperity. Sustainable cities have less pollution, thriving local economies and a higher quality of life. Green maps guide a community’s path toward sustainability in the following ways: listing existing green businesses and suggesting new ecopreneuer opportunities; encouraging tourism dollars to be spent at Green Sites and, in doing so, raises environmental awareness; encouraging sustainable development projects which organize citizens to live work and interact in sustainable ways; encouraging urban greening initiatives to beautify the city making it a more desirable place to live and vacation. WEDA Conference
  • Community and Communication: The Madison Green Map (MGM) will catalyze community-based and regional projects to promote sustainable development by promoting the linkages between the natural and built environments (i.e. the E-Way System, the Circle City Prototype, compact neighborhood development). MGM outreach will bring neighborhood participants into the process, strengthening community bonds, sense of place, and environmental awareness. an accessible reference guide that will help people build networks. Communication of map values will be easily understood through visual images which are a part of a new universal language.

Conclusion

Users of the map benefit by having several kinds of information at hand. With this tool, they find: the perfect place for an urban hike; a healthier neighborhood in which to live; how to get around without a car; technical assistance for their own special interests; and innovations that include ecologically-designed buildings to tour, green businesses, renewable energy installations and other sustainable economic developments. They learn about the hidden aspects of the water, waste and power infrastructure and where the toxic hot spots are.

They see it all mapped out as a continuous, integrated whole of today’s reality and the future’s potential is enhanced.