About Us

About Us

We are a group of Madison neighbors who advocate for more housing

We are residents of Madison who value our neighbors, our city, and our environment. We are working to make housing more affordable, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and end homelessness in Madison. That’s why we say yes to more housing in our city.

What we stand for

Our mission statement: Madison is for People works to build a more affordable and sustainable Madison.

Our goals:

  • Legalize Housing: Reform zoning laws to make duplexes, triplexes, and townhouses legal everywhere
  • Fix Bad Incentives: Repeal ordinances that encourage car-centric and low-density development
  • Promote Affordable Housing: Promote funding and building subsidized housing
  • Support Housing Stability: Support tenants and vulnerable communities
  • Empower and Educate our Neighbors: Build a diverse coalition of local advocates and small-scale builders to support a variety of housing density approaches in Madison
  • Make Car-Free Living Possible: Advocate for robust transit, walking, and biking infrastructure so that residents of all ages and abilities can safely and affordably access jobs, schools, amenities, and housing

We want a more affordable and sustainable Madison

We see friends, family, and coworkers priced out of our area. We see sprawl consume acres of farmland and wilderness and spur an increase in traffic congestion. We also see an alternative: Madison as an affordable and inclusive community. We can make Madison a place with homes for all, where car ownership is not a requirement, and where new residents are welcome.

Meet Our Steering Committee:

Darrin Wasniewski

Chapter Lead

Bio

Darrin Wasniewski’s journey into building communities can best be described as iterative. What began as a desire to save old buildings in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio, evolved into a passion for fostering social connection and creating places for all ages and all abilities. He currently co-leads AARP Wisconsin’s Livable Communities efforts around the state in addition to being a partner in Grow Collaborative Consulting. As a volunteer, Darrin is a Global Walkability Correspondent for Pedestrianspace.org, a collaborative focused on advancing walkable communities around the world, where he leads international workgroups focused on Architecture & Urbanism and the Walkable Economy. In Wisconsin, his passion finds an outlet as a steering committee member of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin’s Active Wisconsin Network. Locally, in his home of Madison, he serves on the steering and transportation committees for Madison is for People, is a member of Downtown Madison Inc., participating on the organization’s transportation and economic development committees, and is a transportation commissioner for the City of Madison. Additionally, he maintains membership in the Wisconsin Downtown Action Council, Congress for New Urbanism, American Planning Association, and YIMBY Action. Darrin is a non-fiction book junkie, soaking up a few a month, and an avid podcast listener. Be careful; he’ll talk your ear off about a current read or a podcast he just listened to.