MADISON, Wis. (WMDX) – The city of Madison is introducing two resolutions tonight to change how the city decides street names, looking to make the process more inclusive to the community. The two resolutions would change city policy and create an Honorary Street Naming Program.
Currently, street names have to be approved by the city engineer, and have to follow a set of guidelines. Those guidelines include: only proper names that have historical significance, names cannot be too similar to existing street names, cannot be longer than 17 characters, and names have to be the most common spelling of a word (e.x. “Wind Street” instead of “Wynd Street).
Under the changes, street names would still need to be approved by the city engineer, and many of those guidelines will stay in place. New guidelines would be added, such as discouraging cultural appropriation, people applying for street names must include the meaning behind the street name, and allowing names from languages other than English, as long as they are spelt using the English-Latin alphabet.
Under the Honorary Street Naming Program, new rules would also be put in place. New honorary street names would need to fit at least one of three criteria: honoring the historically underrepresented, honoring Indigenous place names, or honoring former street names.
A study by the city’s Racial Equity & Social Justice Initiative in 2021 found that the majority of historic street names are named after “elite, wealthy white men.” The new policy changes would look to change that, and allow people from Madison’s “hidden history,” like people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community to be recognized as well.
People looking to nominate a street or honorary street name change would still have to go through a lengthy nomination and approval process, but the changes would also look to streamline the current process. The changes also adds more voices to deciding on a street name, such as the City Council, the city’s Landmarks Commission, and the Board of Public Works.
The resolutions will be introduced at tonight’s Common Council meeting, where they will then be referred to both the city’s Transportation and Landmarks Commission.
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