🤔 Are you a true Madisonian?

🛝 Vilas Park Redevelopment Will Protect Burial Mounds

• Madison is moving ahead with a multimillion-dollar redevelopment of Vilas Park on the city’s Near West Side, but is working closely with Ho-Chunk Nation to protect ancient burial mounds on the site.
• The mounds were built thousands of years ago and are protected by state and federal law. Madison has more preserved burial mounds than any city in the United States, and neighbors insisted that the mounds be located and protected before any work on Vilas Park can start.
• The redevelopment will include new tennis and pickleball courts, improved parking, updated playground equipment, and repairs to the park’s lagoon. [ 🔒 WSJ]

⚖️ High Court Ruling Opens Door to Conversion Therapy Ban

• In one of its final rulings of this session, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for the state to institute a ban on “conversion therapy,” the scientifically discredited practice that attempts to convert LGBTQ+ patients, including children, to heterosexuality.
• The court said it was unconstitutional for a Republican-controlled legislative committee to reject a state agency’s rule banning conversion therapy. The decision could have broader implications on whether legislators can suspend agency rules in general. [Ch. 3000]

🏘️ Big Changes Coming To ‘Miffland’

• The neighborhood around W. Mifflin Street hasn’t changed much in the last century, mostly made of single-family homes dating back to the 1800s and 1900s, featuring porches, yards, and balconies where college students often congregate. But “Miffland,” as it’s known, is facing some major alterations as Madison grapples with a housing crisis.
• The city is working with developers to increase housing density in Miffland while preserving its character and sense of community. A wave of multi-unit developments are planned for the neighborhood in the near future, but the city plan will limit how close those buildings can be to the street, and encourages porches and balconies. [ 🔒 WSJ]

This week, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is leading a delegation of Madison officials to visit our sister city in Obihiro, Japan. The two cities have a lot in common; both are small cities in agricultural regions with a climate that includes nice summers and cold winters.

But you don’t have to organize a full delegation to visit Obihiro, Japan. Here’s what life is like in the city.

🗾 Where is Obihiro?

Obihiro is a city on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, in the Tokachi Subprefecture. (Subprefectures are sort of like provinces, only smaller – Hokkaido is a prefecture with 14 subprefectures alone.) Obihiro has a population of 160,000.

The city is located in the agricultural heartland of Hokkaido, surrounded by wide-open plains and the majestic nearby Hidaka Mountains.

⏲️ How Old is It?

Obihiro was first settled in 1883 by Benzo Yoda, a Japanese farmer and explorer who led a group of pioneers called Banseisha. Obihiro was formally incorporated as a city in 1933.

Much like a U.S. Western state like Colorado or Montana, horses were an instrumental part of settling and developing Obihiro, and the animals are a big part of the city’s cultural identity.

🏇 What Should We See?

Obihiro celebrates the strength of horses with a unique kind of event called “Ban’ei horse racing.” It’s sort of like a cross between a race and a tug-of-war, in which draft horses pull heavy sleds that can weigh over a ton on a sandy, hilly track.

The city has three major festivals throughout the year. The Flat Plain Festival in August may sound a little drab, but it is actually an energetic event which features a taiko drumming celebration that takes up several city blocks and a massive two-hour public dance competition.

⬆️ Last Week’s Photo

It’s at 1505 Williamson Street, next to Common Wealth Development!

🎉 Congratulations to Leah S., Judy S. and Susie H. for being the first three people to guess correctly!

⬇️ This Week’s Photo

Do you know where this mural is located? A few clues:

• It’s on the north side of town
• It’s a great place to get a coffee, grab a beer, buy a pastry – or all three at the same time!
• We featured a different mural from this same location a few months ago!