The Mayor’s Neighborhood Conference will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. This is a community event that aims to foster greater engagement among all Madison residents, neighborhood leaders, professionals, and just about anyone who wants to contribute to the betterment of our neighborhoods.
Community leaders, city staff, alders and others will present transformative neighborhood projects, lessons of effective community involvement, and City programs and plans. Mitchell Silver, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation commissioner, will deliver the keynote address at the event and talk about important national trends in the economy, demographics, housing, transportation and more, and the likely effects they have on Madison.
Silver, an important national leader and city planner, will deliver his keynote address during lunch. Silver has held a variety of planning positions and is internationally recognized for his leadership and innovation. He has worked effectively with a wide range of neighborhoods and leaders and will inspire and motivate neighborhood leaders as he talks about how the economy, equity, and environment are important in shaping the livability of where one lives.
The Mayor’s Neighborhood Conference is also a place to network with other neighborhood leaders, meet alderpeople, ask a question of the mayor, and learn about resources to collaboratively work with City policy makers, City agencies, community leaders and non-profit organizations that shape our city.
People of all backgrounds who are interested in bettering their neighborhoods should be able to find something which appeals to them at this day-long event of workshops and neighborhood conversations. This includes people who are typically underrepresented and millennials that want to step up and raise their voices regardless of ethnicity or economic background.
Four city tours, 12 workshops, 20 peer-to-peer conversations, and an informal reception at the end of the event are part of the full-day conference. The morning sessions will offer peer-to-peer conversation on what has worked and lessons learned on a variety of neighborhood projects. There will be workshops on how to work effectively with district alders and city staff, how to engage residents of diverse income and communities, and a tool to evaluate social justice and equity on the neighborhood level. In the afternoon, Madison’s population change, economy, housing and transportation workshops will describe current conditions and what is expected to change in the future, followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities and how to best shape the future of our City.
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