The University of Iowa’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) is proud to announce the showcase event to celebrate the completion of its yearlong partnership with the City of West Burlington and City of Burlington. The event is this Thursday, May 8, in Burlington.

Farnaz Fatahi and Jovana Kolašinac, have earned a reputation for aesthetically inventive plans and creative solutions. The City of West Burlington, which is one of IISC’s partners this year, presented them a challenge: create a trailhead park from an empty lot located on a major road with a drainage ditch running through it. The park should include basic amenities, including a shelter, a map, a water fountain, and a bike station. And please make it truly unique!

On May 8, UI students who participated in classes that worked with the cities of West Burlington and Burlington will share their work with the public. Presentations by teams from public affairs, urban planning, and civil and environmental engineering will summarize the work they've produced, including master plans, studies, designs, and more.

A longtime University of Iowa initiative has been recognized by a leading national organization for its excellence and exemplary best practices. Campus Compact, the largest national coalition of colleges and universities dedicated to community engagement, has bestowed its Excellence in Community-Engaged Partnership Award on the Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC).

Pathfinders RC&D and IISC are in the early stages of an information-gathering and mapping project that will help Iowans and visitors to the state easily learn what features are available where. Those with knowledge of parks, museums, performance venues, playgrounds, and other sites, including city, county, and nonprofit workers who oversee these spaces, are encouraged to contribute to the map by responding to the survey.

Along with land use, housing, and transportation planning, many cities are adopting arts and culture plans. They recognize the power of arts and culture to bring people together and provide a sense of shared belonging. Evidence shows that communities with vibrant opportunities to experience the arts and co-create culture often attract new residents and retain existing ones, see decrease in crimes and increase in health and well-being. This year, a group of University of Iowa students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs is undertaking is creating the first ever arts and culture master plan for the cities of West Burlington and Burlington. Through these communities’ yearlong partnership with the UI’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC), the group is assessing existing strengths, talking with residents about their visions, and researching planning models and best practices.

Caleb Smith made the most of his undergraduate time at the University of Iowa. A Political Science major, Smith served as a senator in the Undergraduate Student Senate and as Chief Justice of Interfraternity Council. He was elected to Homecoming Court, and worked in several campus jobs, including as a tour guide. With a strong interest in policy and public servce, Smith became a member of the first cohort of the Masters in Public Affairs program. Today, Smith continues to hone his interests as part of the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General where he works in the area of police oversight.

A new statewide initiative from Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) aims to help individuals with disabilities and their caregivers better navigate opportunities to enjoy Iowa’s parks and cultural spaces. Project designers encourage anyone with knowledge about accessible features to help build the crowdsourced database and map. The survey can be accessed directly at https://bit.ly/ADAmap and on Pathfinders’ website, www.pathfindersrcd.org.

In 2023, the Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which is tasked with reviewing and approving transportation investments in the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area, reached out to IISC to learn how they might tailor a 15-Minute City model to suit their needs. Now, a guidebook to “Complete Neighborhoods” that focuses on mid-sized, U.S. cities provides resources and inspiration. Created by three students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs’ Transportation Certificate program, the nearly 80-page guidebook provides overviews of concepts like supportive development regulations, infill development, and parking requirements.

Professor Theresa Bechtel’s community health class, a three-semester course in the College of Nursing, focuses on the social, behavioral, environmental, economic, and medical factors that contribute to a population's health and well-being. As part of IISC’s collaboration with the South Central Iowa Workforce Development Board and Pathfinders RC&D, Bechtel’s class aims to provide analyses of the gaps in healthcare career training and awareness among high school and college-aged students in the region.