University of Iowa’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities celebrates successful yearlong partnership with City of West Burlington and City of Burlington
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.
The partnership between the University of Iowa program and the cities included the work of more than 100 University of Iowa students and faculty, who completed a dozen projects on behalf of the two cities. It launched in September 2024 when a University of Iowa delegation visited southeast Iowa, and were greeted in the Burlington City Hall council chambers by elected officials. They took a bus tour highlighting both historic and current points of interest and then met with experts who would be involved in specific projects.
The partnership was led by Gregg Mandsager, City Administrator of West Burlington, and Chad Bird, City Manager of Burlington. The pair have made a concerted effort to help their communities collaborate more closely. Multiple projects completed by students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs focused on creating joint plans, including an Arts and Culture Master Plan, a Transportation and Land Use Plan, and a Shared Services Study. There were also projects completed by students in Civil and Environmental Engineering specific to each community, such as a subdivision design for West Burlington and the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings in Burlington.
The Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) brings University of Iowa students to communities across the state to collaborate with local leaders on real-world projects. Since 2009, the program has offered essential, energizing, and applicable learning experiences to graduate and upper-level undergraduate students, while simultaneously providing valuable services to communities. Each year, IISC selects new partners through a competitive process.
“IISC had worked with both Greg and Chad when they were in administrative positions in other cities,” says IISC director Travis Kraus. “It has been exciting to be part of their forward-thinking efforts toward greater connectivity between West Burlington and Burlington. This is really the way communities are moving.”
The May 8 showcase event begins at 3:00 pm at various sites in downtown Burlington. Seven student groups will give concurrent presentations of their research and designs. At 5:00 pm, there is a celebratory reception at the Art Center of Burlington, featuring remarks from Mandsager, Bird, and Kraus. There will be a special musical performance by a University of Iowa jazz quartet and awards.
The event is free and open to all. Residents of West Burlington and Burlington are especially encouraged to attend. Registration is appreciated and comes with a free drink ticket: https://bit.ly/WBBShowcase.
For questions regarding the event or the 2024-25 partnership, please contact Jennifer New at Jennifer-new@uiowa.edu.