The University of Wisconsin is competitive in pretty much everything. Our academics, athletic teams and even our party habits are ranked nationally. It's about time our campus begins to compete with other universities nationwide in yet another category: campus development.

We lack adequate dorm space for incoming students, apartment space for older students, retail stores that make life more convenient for students, parking, reliable transportation and a centrally located health center. With class sizes growing each year, UW has no choice but to develop the campus and the surrounding areas to not only cater to the students' wishes but also make UW a more aesthetically pleasing place — or simply one that looks like it has finally left the 1970s behind.

There seems to be a lot in the planning stages. What I wonder is whether students — who have such a big stake in this — are sufficiently involved in the process.

Most familiar to UW students is the upcoming renovation of University Square — currently home to basically nothing more than a rundown movie theater, a rundown post office and a rundown bank. They're all necessities, yes, but all are in need of a major facelift. Madison design firm Potter-Lawson is in charge of the renovations, and, according to a Jan. 24 article in The Badger Herald, has big plans for the space.

Replacing University Square will be an 11-story building for a student organization center and a new location, finally, for the University Health Services, as well as another 12-story building for a private apartment complex and retail stores. The space is also supposed to include "aesthetic greenery," an architectural element that is not seen much at UW.

There is also space for new retail outlets on State Street, where several stores have closed in the past few years. Most recently, and perhaps most depressing, was the closing of The Den, a convenience store that carried pretty much every college-student necessity. Soon clothing store Dick and Jane will be closing, as well as Famous Footwear. Also not to be missed by many is the short-lived Moe's, the third Mexican fast-food restaurant that couldn't compete with across-the-street neighbors Chipotle and Qdoba.

The Regent Street area has also been topic of debate regarding upcoming renovation plans. City officials, local business owners, neighborhood residents and students held a meeting recently to begin mapping out a plan. One of the main goals is to make the Regent Street area more connected to the main areas of campus and not just an area that local residents visit.

University officials have also published the Campus Master Plan, a detailed outline of what they plan to do for the actual campus areas. The master plan includes more parking, dorms in the Lakeshore area and greenery across campus, as well as making sure new building facades complement the architecture of existing university buildings.

Lastly, The Badger Herald Editorial Board recently published an editorial praising the new wireless Internet provider that is set to arrive in late March. The company, Cellnet, hopes to make all of UW wirelessly accessible by placing signal towers around the city. Not only will this not cost UW anything, but also the city will actually profit from renting the space used for planting the towers.

Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that in the next few years, Madison will become a more 21st-century kind of place. I do wonder, though, how well university officials and urban planners know exactly what we, as students, need. Has anyone thought, for example, of linking the Internet provider deal to the opening of a computer store providing genuine discounts for students?

Before it's too late, university officials, city planners and businessmen should actively encourage input from students — and students should respond even if they aren't going to be here when the new buildings are completed.

Emily Friedman ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and legal studies.