West Branch
The Community of West Branch is a small community of about 2,300 people offering a small town feel with historic roots and easy access to everything you might want of larger cities. Home of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, West Branch offers a small town living, dining, and shopping experience while also providing an easy drive to the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor for further opportunities.
Projects
West Branch – Comprehensive Plan Update
Urban Regional Planning and Sustainable Development graduate students will partner with the City of West Branch, Iowa to update the city’s long-range comprehensive plan.
As West Branch experiences gradual population growth and development pressures, city leaders are seeking to proactively plan for the community’s future in a way that balances small-town character with sustainable growth, economic vitality, and quality of life.
West Branch – Fiscal Policy and Capital Improvement Plan
Public Affairs graduate students in the School of Planning & Public Affairs will partner with the City of West Branch, a small but growing rural community, to assess and support local fiscal policy, budgeting practices, and capital improvement planning.
West Branch – Housing Needs Assessment and Policy Recommendations
School of Planning and Public Affairs graduate students will partner with the City of West Branch to conduct a comprehensive housing needs assessment and develop informed recommendations for local housing policy and programming.
West Branch – Leveraging Historic Assets for Community Vitality
Public Affairs graduate students in the School of Planning & Public Affairs will partner with the City of West Branch and other community stakeholders on a multifaceted initiative to optimize the community’s historic assets as a catalyst for economic vitality, tourism development, and enhanced quality of life for residents.
West Branch – Public Tree Inventory
As part of the ICIGO student organization within the School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability, students will conduct an on-site tree study and create a GIS-based digital inventory tool for city-owned trees in West Branch, Iowa.
West Branch – Sewer Line Engineering and Design
Civil and Environmental Engineering undergraduate students will provide analysis, recommendations, designs, and costs for extending West Branch's sanitary sewer trunk line to meet the needs of the growing community.
The student group will examine key considerations including population growth predictions that will impact infrastructure size and location, complex environmental regulations, and funding strategies for the City.
West Branch – Social Media Plan for the City of West Branch
Undergraduate students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will partner with the City of West Branch to work on a social media plan and corresponding public engagement strategy.
West Branch – West Branch Community School District Policy Briefs
Undergraduate students enrolled in Public Policy and Persuasion will work with the West Branch Community School District to develop policy briefs for issues currently facing the school district.