University of Iowa civil and environmental engineering (CEE) students working on their IISC senior design project spent last fall designing a trail that would make a busy business corridor safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles in West Burlington, Iowa. When the next phase of the project began, community leaders discovered the students’ efforts had also saved the town’s taxpayers $60,000 for work already completed.

Manchester Vitality Endowment enlisted the help of four University of Iowa engineering students to help create designs that the group and the City could use to improve the Farmers Market area and a slice of land near the Marion Street Bridge that overlooks the river.

Preliminary plans to beautify the area along the Maquoketa River were presented by University of Iowa engineering students at the April 27 meeting of the Manchester City Council. Working in partnership with the Manchester Vitality Endowment (MVE) committee, the students went through the process of developing renderings as part of their schooling. “It has been a vision from Manchester Vitality… since our inception to try and do something with this eyesore that we have coming over the bridge,” Julie Frick with MVE said.

The University of Iowa’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) partner community for the 2025-2026 academic year is the City of West Branch. University of Iowa students and faculty jumped into a wide range of projects this fall designed to support West Branch’s long-term vision for sustainable growth, economic opportunity, and community well-being.

Gregg Mandsager and Chad Bird write in the Iowa League Of Cities November Cityscape Magazine highlighting a project with University of Iowa School of Planning & Public Affairs graduate students and the City of Burlington and City of West Burlington, Iowa on shared services. "Working together often makes us stronger – but knowing when and how to collaborate is just as important." We couldn't have said it any better ourselves!

In Spring 2025, an IISC class worked with the City of West Burlington to install a pollinator garden (https://iisc.uiowa.edu/projects/west-burlington-pollinator-garden). In this article, West Burlington Gregg Mandsager describes how the community is embracing prairies, pollinator parks, and native plants.