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.

After growing up in a western Chicago suburb, Caleb Smith attended the UI. Smith was active not only in his home department of Political Science, but also as a senator in the Undergraduate Student Senate, chief justice of Interfraternity Council life, a member of Homecoming Court, and through multiple campus jobs. In 2022, he became a member of the first cohort of the Masters in Public Affairs program. Today, Smith continues to hone his interest in public service as part of the City of Chicago’s Office of Inspector General.

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.

Students receive hands-on experience, such as preparing the site, distributing seeds, and maintaining the prairie. The course also fosters interdisciplinary learning opportunities across the university. “The class is evolving, but its primary focus is to get students outside and to identify plants, identify insects, and learn the basics of restoring prairie and other native landscapes,” Fallon said. Mike Fallon and his students recently worked with the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities in West Burlington to create a pollinator garden. This project continues Fallon's longtime work on campus and the community to restore prairie to Iowa.

The University of Iowa has received a top rating for sustainability efforts by a national association focused on sustainability in higher education. According to the STARS report: "The UI also offers faculty, staff, and students across all departments the opportunity to work with Iowa communities on sustainability efforts through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC). UI faculty and students partner with one or two communities across the state to tackle real-world projects related to sustainability. IISC has worked with more than 60 Iowa communities on more than 400 projects since 2009."

Students in the Earth and Environmental Sciencse class "Prairie Restoration" worked directly with the city of West Burlington to plant a pollinator garden. Filled with 400 plants, the garden is the culmination of the students' learning about the Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem, its ecological importance, and how to restore land that's been used for agriculture and other purposes to its original state.

Each year, we complete 30-40 projects with communities across the state of Iowa. IISC works with many UI college and departments, including the Colleges of Engineering, Business, Nursing, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and the Graduate College. We add to our projects throughout the academic year. These are our projects for this year, to date. Many more will be added next semester.

Lilli Scott talks food systems with us. The MPA student is part of a team working with Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development to analyze a possible CSA voucher program that would be in partnership with the University of Iowa.