Students enrolled in the School of Planning and Public Affairs Public Policy and Persuasion course worked with Maquoketa leaders to develop a set of proposed policy solutions to balance the gender distribution of individuals in public positions.  

In conjunction with the Maquoketa City Council, second-year students in the Master of Public Affairs program assisted the Council in goal setting, updating best practices for governance, and developing onboarding materials for future elected officials.  

The City of Maquoketa has a population of about 6,100 and is located in Jackson County in east-central Iowa along Highways 61 and 64. Maquoketa is a county seat and a regional leader in arts and entertainment, healthcare, historic preservation, and recreation. 

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Planning & Public Affairs created a watershed management plan for the Maquoketa River Watershed.  This project was completed as part of IISC's partnership with the City of Manchester for the 2020-21 academic year.  

Through an independent study project, second-year Urban & Regional Planning student Zach Harland worked with the Jackson county Economic Alliance and the City of Bellevue to assess downtown parking and make recommendations for improvements.

Courses from two University of Iowa departments - the Department of Theatre Arts and The School of Planning & Public Affairs - merged to explore the role of arts & culture in community and economic development, with a focus on economic inclusion and Black advancement in Iowa City.  

Working in conjunction with the Jackson Clean Energy District (Jackson CED), graduate students in the School of Planning & Public Affairs developed a Clean Energy Plan for Jackson County, Iowa.  

Jackson CED exists to strengthen Jackson County communities in Jackson County by leading the transition away from fossil fuels toward local and inclusive clean energy.  Jackson CED has a three-pronged community building mission:

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Planning & Public Affairs developed a second phase of a watershed management plan for the Maquoketa River Watershed.  This phase focused on prioritizing subwatersheds for site-specific interventions. 

Background

The Waterloo Public Library sought to understand how account holders were spread across Waterloo in order to identify areas that may need to be better served.  Addresses of existing account holders were mapped with GIS, which provided several opportunities for further analysis, including account holders outside of city boundaries, households not using WPL services, and more.

Students in the School of Planning & Public Affairs graduate course Transportation Demand Analysis completed a parking study for Waterloo’s downtown district.

Students in the School of Planning & Public Affairs course Environmental Management and Policy conducted a study for the Johnson Clean Energy District regarding energy efficiency improvements and renewable investment possibilities in Johnson County.

Combined with the effort to create the Church Row neighborhood plan, a course in the School of Planning & Public Affairs assessed the walkability and accessibility of the Church Row neighborhood, particularly focusing issues of equity that include safety, access to employment and basic needs services, public transportation, parks and open space, and more.

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Planning & Public Affairs created a neighborhood plan for Waterloo's Church Row neighborhood.  

The City of Waterloo (pop. 67,798) sought assistance with the development of a Neighborhood Plan for Church Row, a core neighborhood located near downtown in order to foster a more safe, attractive, and welcoming area that provides opportunities for economic development, healthy and affordable living, and a high quality of life for residents.