Residents from neighborhoods throughout Madison will have a chance to network and share information with each other at Mayor Dave Cieslewicz?s annual neighborhood roundtable Saturday.

Offering five workshops and three newly added demonstration mini-sessions, the morning event is a chance for neighborhood residents to exchange information, learn about city government and empower residents to spur neighborhood growth, according to event organizer Jule Stroick.

?We will provide workshops that are informative and have some sort of dialogue, where individuals can increase their skill set or knowledge and bring that back to their neighborhood, so they can expand on something they are already doing,? Stroick said.

Cieslewicz will kick off the event with a brief welcome speech expressing his commitment to building strong neighborhoods, said George Twigg, spokesperson for the Mayor. 

According to Twigg, the mayor will also address some of the issues neighborhoods have raised recently, like public safety.

Organizers also added some new workshops to the event after receiving feedback from the roundtable attendees from 2007. Stroick said the roundtable usually attracts between 100 and 120 people.

This year?s forum will offer a workshop teaching residents methods to review neighborhood planning proposals, how to build sustainable neighborhoods, how to design a curriculum to asses traffic and walkability through neighborhoods and what it takes on the city level to develop a piece of land.

The sustainable neighborhood workshop is new to Madison, Stroick said.

?It will look at what new buildings are going to work in your neighborhood ? the height, scale, quality of materials,? she added. ?It?s about creating neighborhoods where you can walk to work and build interaction between neighbors.?

The mini-sessions are also a new addition. Residents can stop in at a 30-minute session to learn how to sketch a building model or about recycling and green neighborhoods from the city recycling coordinator, George Dreckmann.

Stroick said she encourages students to attend the roundtable to share their ideas about their neighborhoods.

?How do you captivate wonderful insights, energy and ideas?? Stroick asked. ?Everyone is looking at the new generation to provide that. Plus, the price is right ? it?s free!?

This year?s roundtable will start at 8 a.m. Saturday at CUNA Mutual Group Training Center at 5910 Mineral Point Road.