Milwaukee Pollutes Less Than Madison
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
The Milwaukee metro area produces less carbon per person than Madison. This probably comes as a shock for many in Madison.
Milwaukee is far from perfect however, and only ranks in the middle of the list of the 100 largest cities in the country. Both cities have significant strides to make, both featuring urban coal power plants. But while the UW campus is nice and State Street is pedestrian, Milwaukee is on pace to have a much more functional urban area that encourages less driving and less pollution.
Categories:
I’ve heard another opinion that this is due to industry leaving Milwaukee…
While industry leaving Milwaukee has certainly lowered pollution levels, I would imagine there is still a significant amount more industry in the city of Milwaukee than in Madison when it comes to heavy industry. Milwaukee also has been adding companies at a rapid rate to the Menomonee Valley, but those additions have largely been low polluting (especially when it comes to air pollution) companies.
I would expect Milwaukee to still outrank Madison on industrial air pollution. However, I would imagine both cities are trending downward in that category.
I can’t imagine Madison being a pioneer in much of anything. I was born and raised in Milwaukee (live elsewhere now), but I enjoy reading and learning that Milwaukee is growing, and Milwaukee is under a serious urban renaissance. Comparing Madison to Milwaukee is like comparing apples to oranges. Milwaukee has always been Wisconsin’s industrial, financial, and urban powerhouse. Madison, while experiencing some growth, has always been, and always will be, a college town.
State Street in Madison has become a giant shopping mall’s food court. Most of the stores there now are chains. It’s really depressing. But Madison’s changing…
One thing I notice is that in Madison, there’s a lot of newer cars, and often bigger cars. The Lexus SUV seems particularly popular among the professional crowd over there. In Milwaukee, there’s many more old, junky cars, and just a lot that people have had for a long time because they don’t feel compelled to have the latest thing every two years. I lived there way too long; I’m glad to be in Milwaukee!