Anita Weier: Changing demographics means city must adapt Madison is changing. Poverty has grown. Residents are more racially diverse. Elderly people are becoming a larger part of the population. Inequity is a serious problem. And some young families are leaving our beautiful, bold, beloved university city. To recognize and deal proactively with such changes, in February 2013 the City Council directed a work group to address the effects of shifting demographics. The goal was to develop long-range policy instead of reacting piecemeal to issues as they rise, while not duplicating efforts of other committees or agencies. We wanted to maximize the quality of life for all Madison residents by tailoring services and operations to address the needs of a changing population. A Council Demographic Change Work Group was appointed by then council President Shiva Bidar. Members are Chairperson Scott Resnick, Lauren Cnare, Matt Phair and me. With considerable help from legislative analyst Heather Allen and various experts, we spent much of 2013 gathering information and determining recommendations for our first set of goals. A preliminary report was introduced to the council in January 2014 and has been circulating through 12 citizen committees for comments and suggestions. We also talked with the Rev. Alex Gee following his Capital Times column on discrimination and the resulting standing-room-only town hall. With difficulty, we came up with the following interim recommendations: 1. Support the development of housing for seniors designed for public transit and pedestrian access with a portion of affordable units. (Many senior citizens struggle financially, and some become isolated in their homes.) 2. Conduct a livability assessment in partnership with neighborhood communities for each aldermanic district in support of ongoing efforts to assess equity, and fund projects based on results. (Madison neighborhoods are unique, and offer unique challenges and opportunities.) 3. Strengthen career opportunities for disadvantaged Madison youth ages 16-24 through both city of Madison internship programs and community partnerships, with a special emphasis on youth of color, youth with disabilities and low-income youth. (The three most underemployed groups in Wisconsin are young people, those with no high school diploma and African-Americans.) Several city committees have already weighed in with suggestions, including providing more child care options, focusing on early childhood education, attracting and retaining small businesses, and giving more emphasis to racial inequity. Suggestions may result in revision of recommendations and a focus on other issues in the future. Rev. Gee expressed some skepticism about previous city reports, saying that too often the minority community has been expected to rubber stamp proposals, and that money spent as a result of such reports often does not directly benefit minorities. He suggested encouraging minority contractors to apply for city work, training ex-offenders in food-related or other professions, and directing development in south Madison toward ventures such as a health club, day care for senior citizens or graduate student housing. The committee welcomes additional suggestions from the community, which can be submitted to hallen@cityofmadison.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 17:04:15 +0000
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