On this page, you'll find descriptions of individual projects and overviews of the communities with which we've partnered.

Use the filter to search for kinds of projects, e.g., public art or engineering, or to locate a specific community.

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ECR Cover Photo

ECR Transportation Gap Study

Published
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Faculty researchers and University of Iowa students collaborated with an Eastern Iowa regional provider, ECR, on a study to close transportation gaps for individuals with brain health/mental health needs and disabilities.

alleyway with red bricks

Dubuque - Green Alleyways Assessment

Published
Monday, September 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

The City of Dubuque seeks to establish performance measures/metrics for their Green Alleys Reconstruction program.

colorful drawing of houses

Dubuque - Affordable Housing Action Plan

Published
Monday, September 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Dubuque has been working to improve access to affordable housing and is poised for the next step in its process. In recent years, it has had several different kinds of housingassessments completed. It has incentivized homeowner rehabilitation and has passed incentives for developers to create nearly 800 new units. It’s also created more infill by removing dilapidated buildings. Despite considerable action in this area, Dubuque faces challenges.

tornado warning information in Spanish with drawing of a basement

Dubuque - Language Justice and Translating the Public Health Issues of Extreme Weather

Published
Monday, August 21, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Like many communities in the midwest, Dubuque has many people whose first language is not English. Local government has an obligation to ensure these residents are included in all aspects of civic life. This includes having information that enables them to participate in city activities, ranging from library programs and recycling, to elections and parks. They also need to be able to receive important information about health and safety, such as immunization programs and extreme weather notices.

A carnival ride with grain siloes in the background

Bondurant - Collecting Oral Histories

Published
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

A community is built on its history and work needs to be done to maintain the stories and objects related to its past. As Bondurant grows and evolves, there is a desire to retain and safe-keep the history of those who have deep roots to the area and its traditions.

woman on a bicycle

Dubuque - Alternative Transportation Action Plan

Published
Monday, August 14, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

As part of its ambitious sustainability plans, Dubuque seeks to reduce vehicle dependency and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and create/promote accessible and equitable transportation alternatives.

Autumnal path

Bondurant - Parks and Recreation Master Plan

Published
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

The City of Bondurant seeks a new Parks & Recreation Master Plan that provides comprehensive vision for the local park system, recreation facilities, natural resources, and other public open spaces. The most recent plan was completed in 2013, and Bondurant’s 2022 Comprehensive Plan provides a strong foundation for updating the Master Plan. The Plan will identify strategies to enhance, expand, and protect features that support active lifestyles, equitable access, and a healthy community.

The back of a yellow bike.

Dubuque - Bicycle and Scooter Share Program Analysis

Published
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

The City of Dubuque is exploring the idea of an electric bike and/or scooter share program. The city wants residents and visitors to have access to transportation options that are easy to access and affordable for short distances where walking may be an issue or a car is unnecessary.

Grain silo that's been turned into a house with a deck on the second floor and outside seating.

Bondurant - Law and Policy to Support Community-Driven Redevelopment

Published
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Bondurant, Iowa, like other communities in Iowa, is facing a critical question:  How can the city repurpose the grain silo complex in downtown and make it a catalyst for growth and development? This is a complicated question of identity, design, law, funding, honoring the past, and envisioning the future. The City’s goal is to repurpose a 24-acre parcel of land in the middle of downtown, which has silos, grain elevators, and railroad tracks. These buildings have long been part of the fabric of the community and the city skyline.

old yellowed photo of large white wooden house on what appears to be a large, open plot of land.

Bondurant - Historical Society Archiving

Published
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Bondurant is a city deeply rooted in farming and agricultural traditions. It is currently experiencing rapid growth, which is shifting its identity. The city is balancing responsible growth with observance of its past.

People hiking as seen from road-level with a closeup of a boot.

Bondurant - Trail Expansion Project

Published
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

For their capstone project in Civil and Environmental Engineering, a team of students will create a new trail system that connects to an existing county trail and moves users into downtown Bondurant. 

As a growing community, Bondurant is eager to develop recreation opportunities for local people, while also providing enticing reasons to visit the area. Combining existing trails and building new ones is a goal toward keeping Bondurant on the move!

 

A narrow stream surrounded by grassy green banks and some trees in the distance.

Bondurant - Stream buffer overlay district mapping

Published
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Bondurant adopted Chapter 167 Stream Buffer Protection and Management in an effort to protect the various streams that flow through its city limits. This project will include the mapping of the streams that flow through Bondurant, applying the appropriate buffer zone to each zone, and/or applying the appropriate maintenance zone to each stream. Students in ICIGO will help Bondurant citizens as well as city staff identify undevelopable land surrounding these streams. 

close up of orange and blue abstract mural with blue sky above

Bondurant - Mural on Emergency Services building

Published
Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Artist Drew Etienne (MFA, University of Iowa) will design and paint a mural on Bondurant's Emergency Services building. 

Metal round storm water cover

Dubuque - Detention Basin Capacity

Published
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

The capacities for Dubuque’s stormwater detention basins were established in the early 1990s. Since that time, annual rainfall has outpaced predictions and is expected to increase in the coming decades. The City and area watershed administrators are considering redesigning existing detention basins while also understanding the capacities for future ones.

Cross walk button on side of a pole with universal image for a pedestrian.

Dubuque - Traffic Pedestrian Study for JFK Road

Published
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

As Dubuque seeks to make its streets more accessible to bikers and pedestrians, it is especially interested in ways to make several major thoroughfares safer. One of these is JFK Road, a major north-south arterial road.

old swing set with people swinging

Dubuque - Sculpture Created from Recycled Playground Equipment

Published
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

A collection of metal pipes and other parts from former playground equipment will serve as the materials for Jamie Weinfurter, an MFA student in studio arts, to create a new sculpture. Weinfurter will work with the public, especially students and staff at Audubon Elementary School, to get ideas and collect additional materials for the sculpture. It will eventually be located near the school in the Bee Branch Creek Greenway. 

lower legs of person wearing black tights and canvas sneakers standing on a stack of books

Dubuque - Public Libraries and Neurodivergent Patrons

Published
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Academic year
2023-2024
Partner

Libraries are the pride of many communities in the United States, offering free access to many materials, programming, access to internet and other technologies, and serving as a meeting place. They are also safe spaces for neurodivergent individuals who rely on them as a place for daytime shelter, information, and other resources.

Four young adults wearing winter coats and hats stand in front of a bronze sculpture.

Sidney Park Expansion

Published
Monday, June 19, 2023
Academic year
2022-2023
Partner

For their senior capstone project in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, four students create plans to expand features in Sidney's central downtown park. The space is relatively small, but the City wanted to add a multipurpose court for both basketball and pickle ball; a restroom; storage; and increased car and bicycle parking. The team calculated the wastewater runoff created by the additional surfaces in the park and also added a rain garden.

Headshots of three young adults, one white skinned woman, one white skinned man, and one brown skinned man.

North Liberty Traffic Impact Study

Published
Monday, June 19, 2023
Academic year
2022-2023

On behalf of the City of North Liberty, a group of Civil and Engineering students reviewed current conditions at an intersection in the growing municipality. The team set up traffic counters and used that data to create a simulation model to investigate different traffic scenarios along both Ranshaw and Penn corridors.

Three young people wearing winter coats and hats stand outside with a small patch of snow and bare ground behind them.

North Liberty Ranshaw Way Underpass

Published
Monday, June 19, 2023
Academic year
2022-2023

Three students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering created plans for an underpass for the City of Norther Liberty. The underpass is part of the final phase of a reconstruction of Ranshaw Way.