Madison, WI Site Visit

Site visit to Seven27

We hit the road to visit two of VDTA’s projects in Madison, WI: The Pressman and Seven27. We were curious to see how lifestyle in Madison, WI impacted the decisions people made as to how and where they wanted to live. Madison, WI is a light-urban city versus Chicago, which is much denser. We also wanted to see if the target user had an impact on how and if the amenities were used differently within the buildings.

We learned that location and the context around the building is consistently important and valued in urban housing, regardless of the city. At Seven27, for example, having a direct connection to the trail and lake was a huge drawing factor for prospective residents in how it aligned with their lifestyles. It was also interesting to learn that showing people how to use a space impacts the likelihood of them actively engaging with it in the future.