Wingra Park (aka Vilas) is a very attractive turn of the 20th century district lined with gorgeous historic homes, an intact streetcar business district running down Monroe Ave and wonderful park and lake front access. It also is located between Edgewood College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison creating a very intellectual artistic community vibe.
The Monroe street business district provides Wingra Park with solid retail and cultural amenities, and good walkability. Public Transit and bike infrastructure could be better but sufficient enough to provide a diversity of modal options. Wingra Park also have great street connectivity, convenient access to Dwtn, high levels of safety, and a great tree canopy. Major areas for improvement from an urban perspective include more walkable schools, better racial diversity, more 1-bedroom apartment options, and improved urban in-fill along Regent Street.
Click here to view my Wingra Park Album on Flickr
URBAN STRENGTHS:
* Good urban density.
* Generally very good ADA and sidewalk infrastructure but some missing sidewalks and older ADA sidewalks near Vilas Park.
* Very good access to Downtown.
* Great street connectivity.
* Decent economic and generational diversity.
* Great tree canopy in Wingra Park.
* Wonderful array of historic homes and mansions throughout Wingra Park.
* Solid urban in-fill and urban form along Monroe St. Great streetscaping as well.
* Solid park amenities with the expansive Lakefront Vilas Park side along its southern park and the hilltop park of Bear Mound Park.
* Solid retail amenities including a Trader Joe’s, a pharmacy, a couple banks, a wine store, a bookstore, a couple clothing stores, tons of gift stores and creative stores, a several dessert joints, a couple gyms, a public library
* Good cultural amenities as well including several restaurants & bars, a couple cafes & breweries, a couple art galleries, a neighborhoods arts gallery, a couple local theaters, and some good cultural amenities at nearby Edgewood College.
* Very safe community.
URBAN WEAKNESSES:
* Some bike infrastructure including a couple dedicated bike stations and a recreational bike trail running along the neighborhood’s northern border.
* Racial diversity is very limited. Over 90% Caucasian.
* No schools within Wingra Park but a quality public high school and elementary schools in the adjacent Regent neighborhood.
* No a ton of for sale housing diversity. Everything is pretty expensive here. Some 2-bed selling btwn 425K-525, 3 & 4 beds sell btwn 400K- 1 M.
* Rentals are pretty limited esp. 1-bedrooms. A couple 1-beds lease around 1.5K, Some more 2-bed options also leasing in the mid 1Ks.
* Semi-auto centric biz district along Regent St.
* Missing neighborhood amenities include a lack of churches, doctor offices, a post office, and a hardware store.
Evaluating our Urban Communities [with a focus on America] 