City of Madison, WI
10/31/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/31/2025 10:46
Feedback Wanted for Urban Design Code Update Project
The primary ordinance that guides the review of design for development projects, called the Urban Design Code, has not been comprehensively updated since it was created 50 years ago. There have been amendments to the Urban Design Code in that time, but the age of the underlying ordinance and the patchwork of updates over the years have led to some uncertainty about what the City wants to see in private building designs.
Through the Urban Design Code Update project, the city hopes to create more clarity, consistency, transparency, and flexibility in the City's urban design goals and design review process.
The current Urban Design Code is based around eight Urban Design Districts across Madison that are generally found along major roads or "gateways" into the city.
Districts 1 and 2 were created in 1975, District 3 was created in 1987, District 4 was created in 1992, District 5 was created in 1995, District 6 was created in 1996, District 7 was created in 2006, and District 8 was created in 2009.
Right now, some of these districts have different requirements or more rules than others. In addition to these districts, the Urban Design Code also applies to certain zoning districts as well certain types of development projects regardless of where they are located.
Goals of the Urban Design Code Update
Phase One of this project involves identifying key design principles, areas of interest, and ways to improve the urban design review process that will eventually guide the future code update. It does not include drafting new urban design guidelines or ordinance language, which will not take place until next year.
As part of Phase One of this project, the Planning Division, members of the Urban Design Commission, and City staff involved in the Development Review Process have developed a set of goals for how to update the Urban Design Code. Those goals include:
- Creating clarity, consistency, transparency, and flexibility in the City's urban design goals and design review process.
- Re-evaluating Urban Design District boundaries to identify current areas of interest.
- Examining the design guidelines and requirements in each Urban Design District to better reflect industry best practices and the City's design goals.
Over the next few weeks, there are multiple ways for you to let the Planning Division know what you want the future of Madison to look like. Through mid-December, you can:
City of Madison, WI published this content on October 31, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 31, 2025 at 16:46 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]