The Park Commission revised the Park and Open Space Plan last Wednesday, examining where there is a need for new parks in the city and the downtown area.

According to Madison Parks Superintendent James Morgan, this is the first time this plan has been revised in about seven years, which is the normal cycle the commission follows to reevaluate the need for green space and parklands in the city.

“The world changes … so the Park and Open Space Plan takes into consideration all growth around the city, new neighborhoods and changing interests in people,” Morgan said.

There is now a significant number of Madison residents who play cricket, an example of something the commission considers when deciding plans for new parks, Morgan said. The public initiates some ideas and there is pressure to satisfy them, he added.

A dog park on the West Side is under consideration, and Door Creek Park on the East Side will host athletic fields, basketball courts and hilly areas, Morgan said.

Ald. Santiago Rosas, District 17, a member of the Park Commission, said he approves of the proposals.

“I think the concept is well received and the commission is receptive and enthusiastic,” Rosas said. “They are coming up with creative ways in how we can introduce and propose to citizens throughout our city some recreational and green space throughout the city.”

Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, said there are a lot of areas in the city that are in need of public spaces, but Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has made it a priority since he first took office to open new parks, especially in newly developed areas that have fallen behind in the construction of neighborhood recreational areas.

Excluding these newly developed subdivisions, there is no child in Madison more than five blocks away from a park, Morgan added.

According to Morgan, 10 parks have opened since Cieslewicz first took office. There will be a proposal next summer for five more parks. Madison has twice as many acres of parkland as the national average, Morgan said, which includes 200 parks encompassing more than 6,000 acres, according to the Madison Parks Foundation website.

“It’s really obvious we are a growing, healthy city,” Morgan said.

Rosas said the project would also work to connect the downtown with peripheral areas of the city, making it easier for bicyclists or joggers to travel, although some feel this is unachievable.

“We have bike trails throughout the East Side and West Side, and all connect into downtown to serve University of Wisconsin students and residents,” Rosas said. “This is the alternate goal — in trying to expand our parks and any pedestrian mode of traffic.”

Webber said she agreed with this principle, describing how children would be sad if there was a park with a new soccer field that they were unable to reach.

“I think that being able to get to a park is really important for people who don’t drive or can’t drive,” Webber said, specifically citing children, disabled and elderly people. “It is really important we are able to get to parks through a variety of methods.”