Helen John graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2017. While at the university, she designed a concept for the Nolen Waterfront as part of her capstone project. In her last semester she began her involvement with the Madison Design Professionals Workgroup and portions of her concept were incorporated into the schemes developed by the group's design teams.
The Madison Design Professionals Workgroup began offering pro bono work on the City of Madison Master Plan over a decade ago. Currently the workgroup has focused its attention on visionary planner John Nolen's dream of creating a beautiful lakefront park on Lake Monona. The workgroup has donated hundreds of hours and multiple design concepts, and today the Nolen Waterfront project has the potential to become a reality. In its 2018 budget, the City of Madison has allocated $500,000 dollars for the technical planning and design of the Nolen Waterfront.
