Introduction
Let's talk about the future of Madison, Indiana
Have ever had an idea about the future of Madison? You have come to the right place. This website was created because we see endless possibilities for our beautiful rivertown. We wanted to create a space that allowed people to explore these ideas in depth.
Visioning Madison’s future is certainly not a new concept. There have been a number of excellent workshops, forums and committees that have considered the future of Madison. We think this effort has special strengths to compliment these efforts.
Part One: Take the survey
The first step in this project is to take a community survey. This is not your usual survey. Rather, the purpose of this survey is to examine the goals that have been stated for our community and identify tools Madison has to attain those goals.
We’ll first look at our future vision of Madison then we’ll examine what opportunities and threats may impact our goals. Finally, we’ll evaluate our internal strengths and weaknesses. As we go through these questions, keep in mind what political, social, economic and technological, impact our future.
Part Two: Share your ideas!
Now that you have goals for our community in mind, how do we reach these goals? This is where the ideas section comes into play.
First, register for a contributor’s account, read through other ideas, then share your own ideas. You can post them here.
L595 High Tech Learning project explanation
Here in Madison, Indiana, a panel is charged every few years with the task of envisioning the future of our community. A phrase I have heard come from these panels is that “we want a community our children will come home to.” I am sure this sentiment is heard in rural communities across our nation.
This is certainly a good urge for many reasons. However, these panels have several weaknesses. For example, community forums can attract a wide range of residents, but realistically any person can only have the floor for a few minutes at most. How do you explore ideas? Committees, meanwhile, have more time to explore ideas, but their membership is limited—they often lack the age groups they are trying to attract.