City's Strategic Economic Development Implementation Plan
The City of Madison is in the process of developing an Economic Development Strategic Implementation Plan to guide our efforts over the next 3-5 years. See link for presentations, updates, and to sign up for email notifications.

Downtown Madison Market Analysis
Results are in for the 2007 Downtown Madison Market Analysis, co-funded by Madison's Central BID. See links below.

Executive Summary (PDF)

Unified Dream Statement (PDF)

Full text of report

Photo courtesy of Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center

Downtown Madison: The Place for Business
Set on an isthmus between two scenic lakes, Madison's Central Business District encompasses the heart of downtown Madison, where the famed State Street pedestrian mall links the Capitol square, seat of Wisconsin state government, to the University of Wisconsin campus.

The central downtown is home to more than 1,500 businesses--from shops, boutiques, and restaurants to financial, law and communications firms--plus museums and cultural destinations. The unique shopping, business and cultural district boasts nearly 300 retail, restaurant and entertainment establishments, the majority locally owned.

Photo: Troy Freund

The central downtown serves a thriving residential market, with 800 area condo units built since 2002 and nearly 400 more under construction, as well as the University of Wisconsin campus with 41,000 students and 18,000 faculty and staff.

Recent Madison accolades include:

#6 Mid-Sized City in the U.S. for Entrepreneurs, Entrepreneur, October, 2005

#1 City for Cycling (Population: 200,000- 500,000), Bicycling, March 2006

One of ten New American Dream Towns, Outside magazine, August 2005

One of ten Greenest Cities in the Nation, Vegetarian Times, July, 2005

4th "Brainiest" City in America, American City Business Journals Inc., Spring 2005 Located in south Central Wisconsin, Madison is just off Interstates I-90, I-94 and I-39, with easy driving access from Milwaukee (90 minutes), Chicago (2.5 hours) and Minneapolis (4.5 hours). Dane County Regional Airport offers non-stop service to many major US cities.

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the University and downtown hotels offer top-notch meeting and convention facilities, with nearly 1,200 hotel rooms within walking distance of central downtown.

By 2007, downtown Madison will be served by a network of wireless transmitters, making Madison one of the first cities of its size to go wireless.

Learn more