Urban Development, Housing and Student Enclaves in University Towns: Luxury Living in Madison, WI

Abstract

Our research is concerned with recent additions of high-end, high-rise apartment buildings to the State Street area in Madison, WI, taking the Hub at Madison and its follow-up project the James as particular cases. We address the economic and social consequences of these processes specifically for students, and how these buildings might serve to segregate and stratify the student population. We situate these developments in the context of the greater Madison housing market and recent trends in student housing and consider how these developments articulate with and diverge from previous conceptualization of gentrification and studentification. Through a survey and interviews with four students and two community members we are able to better understand the processes of urban change occurring in Madison. We argue that development in downtown Madison has prompted the creation of exclusionary spaces, specifically in connection to students and student housing.