Introducing How I Can Improve South Madison

South Madison is a vibrant multicultural community composed of a number of neighborhoods, each with a unique identity that contributes to the overall eclectic vibe of the area.  While these individual groups have rich cultural heritage, they are fragmented and lack a relationship, which results in South Madison’s lack of a cohesive identity. Furthermore, South Madison is known as a crime-ridden and poverty-stricken region, which contributes to the areas low morale and unfavorable identity. These perceptions of Madison may be due to culturally salient stereotypes about to people of color and people of lower socioeconomic status, both of whom comprise a substantial proportion of South Madison’s population.

In recent years, community leaders inside and outside of South Madison have looked at ways to uplift the area and attempted to re-brand South Madison, but minimal progress has been made.

I plan to make the world a better place by bring the segmented groups of South Madison together in order to enhance the overall community. Food is a shared value across cultures that often holds cultural significance and can be used as a tool to bring people together. Cultural, health and economic aspects of food could be used to improve the South Madison community.

I would like replicate Robert Putnam’s social capital model to increases connections in communities. The core idea of Putnam’s social capital is that, “social networks have value. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a university education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so do social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups” (Putnam, 2000). I will use food to create connections and increase social contacts.

South Madison background information that proves the need for an increase in ties between South Madison residents:

Historically: Founded in the early 1900s, South Madison is one of the oldest areas in the city. Though some of its prominent landmarks are gone, long-time residents and historians both recognize that the area is still a treasured community, with stories, traditions, and artifacts that needs to be preserved and passed on to future generations.

Culturally:  Since South Madison was founded, one of its distinguishing characteristics has been its multicultural and multiethnic residents. During the first half of the last century, the area was home to working and middle class families, many of whom immigrated to America and were of color. That trend continues today. The South Madison residents represented the following races/ethnicities: 31.5 Caucasian, 31.2% African-American, 0.5% Native American, 21.2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 20.7% Hispanic, and 11.1% other (US Census Bureau, 2011). This is a sharp contrast to the city of Madison as a whole, in which 84% of the residents are Caucasian.

Economically: Currently South Madison is reflective of national trends indicating that unemployment and underemployment are much higher among blacks, Latinos, and some Asian groups.  South Madison is home to many working class families, and many of these families are facing pay cuts, and an ever-eroding standard of living. South Madison is home to a number of small, independently/family-run businesses. There are numerous restaurants and grocery stores that are culturally specific and one-of-a-kind in Madison. Raising awareness of these unique establishments could boost their patronage and increase revenue flow into the South Park community.

Health: Park Street benefits from the presence of two hospitals, multiple clinics, and other health-based initiatives, many of them now coming together under the umbrella of the YMCA-sponsored, Healthy Park Street Initiatives (Dane County YMCA, 2011). While these health-focused facilities are located in South Madison, there is a major lack of attention on South Madison residents’ physical health and food-related issues. There are several opportunities in South Madison to purchase and consume fresh, healthy food, for example the South Madison Farmer’s Market, but there is minimal city-level awareness good food and nutrition in the area. South Madison reflects national trends in that there is a desire to improve nutrition, combat childhood obesity, and generally promote healthy living, but little action is being taken.

The people, organizations and businesses directly in and on the outskirts of South Madison show that there’s a great deal of potential for improvements.

South Madison stakeholders: Many people and groups are interested in this issue. Various community groups are interested in helping to grow South Madison’s rich culture of locally grown and ethnic food. South Madison business owners are interested in bringing in more consumers from the greater Madison area as well as more from their own neighborhoods. Local food pantries in South Madison would like to increase awareness of their services but also find volunteers and donors from the Greater Madison Area. South Madison residents care about this issue because many residents want the opportunity to eat locally grown food and enjoy various diverse restaurants. Students will be interested in this issue because they are often looking for ways to get out into the community. Lastly, the Greater Madison Community would be interested in this because South Madison is an important part of the city and improving food in that area would benefit the whole city.

Food and Engagement in South Madison: The different types of food establishments provide different types of opportunities to better South Madison through social and economic engagement.

Restaurants, groceries and food pantries: The different types of food establishments provide different types of opportunities to be social. For most people, dining out is a social experience; however, when most people eat a restaurant, they do so with people they already know. Rather than using restaurants, grocery stores and food pantries to increase sociability, these establishments could be used to increase revenue flow in South Madison.

Non-commercial dining: Non-commercial dining events have the potential to facilitate bonding between South Madison residents. These events are open to diverse groups of people. Things like community potlucks and South Madison farmers market encourage interaction between different people and promote eating local, healthy foods.  Because these events are open and populated by diverse groups of people, various communities are bridged.  The farmers market and potlucks also broaden the culture and food knowledge of attendees by exposing them to foods prepared by people of varying social and cultural backgrounds. Many of these potlucks are not well publicized and are attended by people “in the know.”  For example, Zuzu Café (by Henry Vilas Zoo) regularly holds open potlucks in which attendees bring a homemade dish to share. I would like to make residents more aware of potlucks like these and potentially create new potlucks. Another event with a great deal of potential is Celebrate South Madison (Celebrate South Madison Facebook Page, 2009). Celebrate South Madison is an initiative that’s working to create a sense of pride in the community. The South Madison Farmer’s Market also has a great deal of potential for bringing different people together and promoting the sales and eating of local products (South Madison Farmer’s Market, 2011). I would like to focus on increasing the attendance at events like the ones mentioned.

I hope to increase South Madison’s cohesiveness through a platform revolving around food. I hope to increase sociability of the segmented enclaves through the shared value of food, promote health from eating local and fresh food and to better South Madison’s economy by increasing revenue flow in local food related establishments.

Works Cited

Madison, WI Quick Facts. U.S. Census Bureau, 18 Oct. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/5548000.html.

Planning for Community Food Systems 590. “Community Food Assessment: Prepared for Park Street Partners & South Metropolitan Planning Council”. University of Wisconsin, Madison: May 2006.

Putnam, Robert. “Bowling Alone: The collapse and revival of American community.”   New York: Simon& Schuster, 2000.

South Madison Farmer’s Market. 2011. Web. 16 November.  http://www.southmadisonfarmersmarket.com/

YMCA of Dane County. “Strengthening Our Community.” Fall 2011. Web 21 November 2011.