MAY 2025

1000 Friends of Wisconsin is on Bluesky!

Find us there: @1000FriendsWisc.bsky.social

Please help us say goodbye to Carl!

Carl Glasemeyer, our Land Use & Transportation Policy Director, has accepted another job for MnDOT and we're going to miss them! Carl made important connections with a broad array of stakeholders in Milwaukee and coalitions statewide, moving the needle for safer and more active transport, while supporting more housing options and affordability. Carl specifically worked on the GrowingMKE (pro housing) campaign, Rethink 794 campaign, I94 non-expansion advocacy, VRUSA reporting, the Milwaukee Safe Streets Academy, and so much more. Thank you, Carl, for all the work and smiles you brought to our team, the Milwaukee area, and communities statewide! You will be missed!

- the 1KF Team

And just like that ... WE'RE HIRING!

1000 Friends Proudly Convenes

Together for Homes Coalition

As part of our effort to expand collaborative, community-based partnerships, 1000 Friends of Wisconsin is proud to convene the Together for Homes coalition, to create opportunity, transform lives, and build a stronger, more equitable Milwaukee. Together for Homes is supporting the City of Milwaukee’s updated Housing Element which uses sound zoning policies to reduce barriers that have kept housing out of reach for too many Milwaukeeans.

Additionally, the plan fosters climate resilience by:

✅ Minimizing the need for driving with more housing options in

neighborhoods well-served by transit and near walkable business

corridors

✅ Encouraging housing where there is existing infrastructure, thus

minimizing environmental impact

✅ Permitting diverse housing styles in more neighborhoods, including

building designs with a smaller carbon footprint

Show Your Support Today:

🖊️ Sign the petition here to help bring more housing choices to Milwaukee.

📝 Submit Your Comments on Engage MKE to share your voice with City leaders

We need your help to get this over the finish line!

*To learn more about Milwaukee's Housing Element, visit the City's Housing Element web page.

Wisconsin Climate Table Gathers for the Annual Spring Meeting

The Wisconsin Climate Table held their annual spring meeting at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison earlier this month with coalition members travelling statewide to network, build community, and strategize the next phase of this important statewide coalition. Led by 1000 Friends Community Programs Director & WCT Coordinator Susan Gaeddert, members dove into a bit of the WCT history with struggles & successes, changing dynamics and directions, and current growth to 32 orgs on the membership roster. After a thorough SWOT analysis of the org, members broke out into teams to dive further into the legwork needed for statewide campaigns, potential projects, and preparation for the next State Climate Table grant(s). Walking the Olbrich Gardens, breakouts learned more about each other's work and perspectives while answering prompts surrounding the pathway to reaching our North Star Goal of 'Equitably eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (in WI).'

Interested in learning more? Or are you part of a climate action-oriented org and would like to join the Wisconsin Climate Table? Please reach out to Susan at [email protected].

Returning to Rethink 794

UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture & Urban Planning Students Present 794 Re-visioning at Open House

“'If 794 comes down, what’s possible?'

That was the challenge posed to 14 UW-Milwaukee students in a UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning seminar by professors Carolyn Esswein and Larry Witzling.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has been studying replacing the east-west, elevated portion of Interstate 794 between the Marquette Interchange and the Hoan Bridge for more than a year and is considering options that include a boulevard or a substantially slimmed-down elevated freeway.

Split into teams of seven, the students ..."

Read FULL Urban Milwaukee article by Jeramey Jannene

WisDOT to Host I-794 Lake Interchange Study Open House on 29th May

From the WisDOT study website: "The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is conducting a study on the I-794 Lake Interchange corridor, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, and in close coordination with the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. WisDOT’s collaborative and comprehensive process includes assessing the needs and priorities, gathering and analyzing data, evaluating a range of alternatives, and engaging with the public to determine the best transportation solution on this important corridor."

More public open house details are on our Rethink 794 website.

To stay connected with our Rethink 794 Campaign,

please sign up for our Rethink 794 email list.

SSTI: Innovative Framework

for State DOTs

State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI) has released a new innovative framework for state DOTs. States have a unique opportunity to lead in today’s evolving transportation landscape. By learning from peers and building on proven strategies, agencies can make necessary progress without reinventing the wheel. According to SSTI's framework, innovation requires agencies to have visionary leadership, put people first, make the most of the current system, and fuel innovation in their agency’s culture.

Learn more on the SSTI website here.

For more information

Submission Form

Mark Your Calendars!!

APA-Wisconsin Annual Conference

September 11-12, 2025

La Crosse Center

Call for presentations now open!

Fun Spotlight! Executive Director Trevor Roark and Land Use & Transportation Policy Director Carl Glasemeyer attended the 2025 Communities Over Highways Summit in Minneapolis last month. This was a fantastic conference for learning, networking, and building more capacity for stopping new highways, highway expansions, and highway reconstructions. A big thanks to America Walks for the invitation and both America Walks & Our Streets MN for hosting. Learn more about the Freeway Fighters Network.