Madison will adopt a new system of measurement method inspired by a campus-area alder.
New considerations on how to measure the size of developments in a way that’s more relatable to the average Madisonian have been introduced this week. The new measurement, named after District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan, is based on his height and dubbed an “M-MGR,” or metric MGR.
“I’m not sure if I’d want to be the unit of measurement here,” Govindarajan told The Daily Cardinal.
One M-MGR equates to 65 inches, 1.81 yards, 0.001 miles or 0.00089 nautical miles for the U.S. imperial measurement system. For metrics, one M-MGR is 165.1 centimeters, 1.651 meters or 0.001651 kilometers.
A height ordinance passed in 1966 restricts buildings within one mile of the state Capitol to be no taller than the Capitol’s pillars. At 187 feet, this equates to 34.52 M-MGRs.
To scale for planned developments, like the North-South Bus Rapid Transit, the new route is roughly 3,400 M-MGRs.
Looking at housing developments, Core Spaces' planned 15-story “Johnson and Broom” student housing development clocks in at approximately 162.4 feet, which is 29.98 M-MGRs.
