UniverCity Year - Monona
The City of Monona was chosen to be UniverCity Year’s inaugural year program, with the partnership spanning the 2016-2017 academic year. This partnership worked to improve the parks for future generations, make transportation safer and more accessible, connect and communicate with citizens effectively with technology, and balance stability with community change and redevelopment opportunities. This partnership solidified the potential of UniverCity Year’s work with Wisconsin communities, leading to fruitful partnerships in the future.
Outcomes
-Monona created an ad hoc Bike and Pedestrian Committee that used student recommendations to implement a simple thing: putting bike racks on city buses, and they have also noticed an increase in bus ridership (pre-COVID-19). Monona used student recommendations to complete a “Bike Friendly Community” application to the League of American Bicyclists. -Student reports provided background for the city council to understand they could reauthorize the Renew Monona loan program. Monona re-established the program. Now the fund has about $1.7 million for expansion. -Students recommended that the city create an “Adopt a Storm Drain” program, which they did, and met their goal of 100 storm drains.
Focus Areas
Project Leader
Gavin Luter
Managing Director, UniverCity Alliance
- Department/Unit
- UniverCity Alliance