MADISON, Wis. – This fall, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Division of Extension’s Community Development Institute are partnering with Leadership Wisconsin to hold community assemblies across Wisconsin to help find solutions to some of the state’s most pressing housing problems.

These assemblies will bring together local residents to learn about specific housing challenges facing their communities, discuss different perspectives and develop recommendations for local government and policymakers. The non-partisan facilitated discussions are designed to encourage civil dialogue and give residents an opportunity to work together to find creative solutions that make sense for their community.

“Most Americans think that local decisions get made by a small circle of ‘usual suspects’ and that it’s the same loud voices that dominate the process. There is growing interest in forums that inspire collaboration, engage different perspectives, and bring people together around shared challenges,” says Amber Wichowsky, associate professor of public affairs at UW-Madison and project lead for the Wisconsin Community Assemblies.

Community Assemblies

Unlike traditional public meetings, each assembly will bring together a randomly selected representative group of residents in a structured forum. Often called civic or citizens’ assemblies, they are a form of deliberative democracy in which participants learn about policy challenges, consider different perspectives, deliberate in small groups, and develop recommendations that can be presented to government officials.

Participants in the community assemblies do not need to be experts. Instead, they will bring their own experiences and perspectives as members of the community to the table. The goal is to create a space where residents can openly discuss and listen to one another, weigh options, and work towards practical solutions

Participants are selected from a lottery and will receive $100 for participation. Assemblies will last from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with lunch and refreshments included. Visit communityassembly.wisc.edu for more information.

Community assembly dates and locations:

  • October 3, Kenosha
  • October 10, Dodgeville
  • November 7, Forest County
  • November 14, Milwaukee
  • Early 2027 TBD, Marathon County

Main Street Agenda

Community assemblies are part of the 2026 Main Street Agenda, a biennial project that aims to highlight issues Wisconsin residents are concerned about and create opportunities for people to share their views, listen to different perspectives and promote civil dialogue and democratic participation.

In addition to the community assemblies, the 2026 Main Street Agenda will include a docuseries project exploring how polarization is shaping the lives of Generation Z in Wisconsin. In collaboration with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the two-season series will examine factors contributing to young people’s distrust in the political system and how that shapes their opinions on public issues. Over the last few months, the documentary team of La Follette School and Journal Sentinel have traveled the state interviewing nearly 90 students, teachers, journalists and researchers.

Episode one of the first season will be released on October 21, with a sneak peek the night before during La Follette’s public event featuring Michael Barbaro of The New York Times’ The Daily podcast.

The documentary and community assemblies, along with other initiatives across the state, seek to create opportunities for respectful dialogue, increase civic engagement and renew trust among Wisconsinites.

About the La Follette School of Public Affairs 

The Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a leading academic institution with a 40-year history of improving the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policy and the practice of governance. The school was built on the foundation of the UW–Madison Center for the Study of Public Policy and Administration, which was established in 1967 under the Department of Political Science. In 1983, the Wisconsin Legislature formally separated the center from the Department of Political Science. The school officially opened in 1984, now named after Robert M. La Follette, the former Wisconsin governor and U.S. senator who is regarded as one of the most celebrated figures in the state’s history. Today, the La Follette School offers domestic and international master’s degrees in public affairs as well as certificates for undergraduate students. La Follette School faculty, alumni, students, and staff extend the practice of the Wisconsin Idea across the state and around the world through research and outreach that inspires evidence-based policymaking, impacts society’s pressing problems, and advances the public good.