MADISON, Wis. -- The health of the Capitol Square has been a concern for years as the city has tried to revive the once-thriving shopping and entertainment district.

The effects of some changes are now becoming evident as people and businesses move onto the square. The construction on Capitol Square is a headache for some, but it also means improvements are under way.

The idea is if people want to come to the square, so will businesses. Mary Carbine's job is to grow business downtown.

"The focus is to increase the foot traffic day and night on the square, and that's with a mix of businesses," said Carbine.

Right now, there are some 70 street-level businesses around the square. Seventy-seven percent are locally owned, and the largest segment, at 34 percent, is restaurants.

"I'm so happy to have my business on the square. I couldn't imagine it anywhere else, to be honest," said Tory Miller, executive chef and co-owner of L'etoile restaurant. "It's nice to be able to go around the square and grab a sandwich or a salad or sit out on the lawn and eat that and relax."

UW student Kurt Kober said the square offered the perfect place to study for finals.

"I like the fact that the square has natural beauty, but you're also surrounded by people and beautiful buildings and the Capitol here behind me... It's somewhat inspirational when you're sitting here mired in econ or other subjects," said Kober.

But for a city that prides itself on being open and friendly, WISC-TV found that not everyone feels welcome.

"They see me, they automatically think…he's a gangsta…he's a thug…I bet he sells drugs…So that's the problem it is up here," said David Pierre.

It's a problem with which the city will wrestle as it grows and becomes more diverse.

There is a perception by some that the square isn't safe, but Madison police said it is for the most part just perception.

"Our concern from a safety standpoint really comes out at 1 a.m. where it starts to approach bar time and you completely see the change in attitude where there's a higher amount of intoxicated people wandering the streets," said Mike Hanson, public information officer at the Madison Police Department.

But Hanson said that for the most part, even at night, the square is relatively safe.

And several new restaurants are sparking more nightlife.

"That's a wonderful bonus and complement to all the day foot traffic, you have things becoming lively at night," said Carbine. "It's very alive downtown, and with a lot of the condos going up I think there's a lot more young people."

The recent condo craze has created more than 220 units on the square.

"We also see businesses coming in that can cater to some of the new residents who would like to walk to things," said Carbine.

One such business is the chiropractor's office at which Dr. Wendy Wait works. It opened just this year.

"It was quite a risk for me to take this, but so far it's been paying off," said Wait.

Wait has one of the few service-oriented businesses on the square. She's betting that people will value the convenience.

"The people down here, a lot of times they have their schedule under their terms... or time on their hands that they can just go, 'Hey I can take 10 minutes and go down there and get adjusted," said Wait.

Services are returning, residents are moving in and more office and retail space is being added, WISC-TV reported.

It remains to be seen if the square's efforts at revival will pay off.