Why do we care about a pig’s housing more than a person’s? 

Hooray for Rudi, but he’s not the only one in need of swift action from Madison’s policymakers.

Rudi the Pig first appeared off the Southwest Commuter Path in May 2022. My dog and toddler were both delighted to see a pig on their walk, and so was I. Cora sniffed at Rudi carefully—this was the strangest dog she had ever encountered. My daughter pulled a piece of grass to offer Rudi to eat. 

So I was disappointed when I heard Rudi would lose his housing because he was in violation of a city ordinance. And I was pleased when I saw how quickly and urgently the neighborhood and City stepped in to amend that ordinance.

I just wish my neighborhood and the City of Madison cared as much about housing people as they do about housing a pig. 

Over the last five years, I have watched near-West side neighbors rally against most—if not all—proposals to increase housing supply and density in our neighborhood. I have watched neighbors demand extra meetings, committees, studies, and delays, all in pursuit of slowing down and stopping housing solutions. I have attended many meetings where neighbors claimed that new housing (and new neighbors) will bring crime, traffic, noise, and other negative impacts to the almighty “neighborhood character.” 

And I have seen the City acquiesce, time and again, to neighborhood demands. The recent family definition ordinance change led to a multi-neighborhood group requesting studies, creating a website, and delaying a vote by months.

When the neighborhood listserv was rallying in support of Rudi, a neighbor chimed in with their opinion on why Rudi should stay by drawing a comparison to other neighbors of theirs:

“If someone wants to see real pigs, of the pejorative human kind, one need only take a walk down the south side of Lathrop, where trash cans have been left on the terrace for months, beer cans strewn in yards, 300 college kids packed in a backyard, many of them underage, puke on the sidewalk and outdoor urination on neighbors’ fences and driveways, each of which is a violation of a city ordinance and each a public health hazard.” 

In my neighborhood, renters and college students (or any non single family home owner) are personae non grata. The idea of more renters encroaching on the neighborhood means unkempt lawns, “absentee landlords,” “slums,” and rundown houses. Compared to renters, a pig seems good to these folks. 

My neighbors were quick to rally around a pig at risk of losing housing. They refuse to rally around people facing exactly the same thing. 

We know the City is facing a housing crisis; we’ve known it for a decade now. Every other week, Madison tops another list of cities with the largest increases in housing and rental costs. The alarm bells have been ringing for years now, and what have we done to fix it? We’ve addressed the housing crisis by adding seven Accessory Dwelling Units (such as granny flats or backyard cottages) and upzoning areas around public transit. Unfortunately that includes only 15% of the city’s land area—with 2.9% being zoned for detached single family homes. 

It took exactly two months for the Common Council to pass an ordinance for Rudi. Speed is possible, when we think the subject is worthy of it. Alder Tag Evers, who pushed for delays in the family definition ordinance, introduced the ordinance change and asked for expediency. 

I’d like to see my neighborhood and the City of Madison extend the same urgency and empathy to people.