The City of West Burlington seeks an evaluation and redesign of its downtown area to enhance functionality and visual appeal, facilitating public events and attracting visitors. For the capstone project, a group of engineering students will design for improved durability and access of roads, develop an efficient green stormwater management system, and enhance walkability through streetscape development. The project will incorporate plantings and lighting around the streets near City Hall to create a more attractive and accessible environment. 

Courses from two University of Iowa departments - the Department of Theatre Arts and the School of Planning & Public Affairs - merged to explore the role of arts & culture in community and economic development, with a focus on supporting the launch and visioning for the Wonderful Westside Neighborhood Association in Iowa City.   

Students in a capstone class in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications worked with Pathfinders RC&D to develop strategic communication campaigns and management. Working in teams and individually, students:

Students in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program will evaluate and redesign an abandoned industrial site for public use, enhanced community access, and promotion of recreational activities. The senior capstone project involves evaluating the site's potential for multiple public uses and highlighting the riverfront in the redevelopment plan. Additionally, amenities will be designed to support the proposed public uses, creating a vibrant and accessible riverfront area for the community. 

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, a team of students will design a single, centralized facility to combine the City of Burlington's Parks and Forestry Departments. This new building will streamline services and improve efficiency. Key tasks include developing the building concept, determining the architectural style, planning the layout, designing structural elements, and creating the site design, which encompasses drainage, parking, and access considerations. The team will also provide a phasing plan and cost

The City of Burlington hopes to adapt several industrial buildings that are not currently in use. As part of their capstone work, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering will evaluate and redesign the former Dial Soap Building into a mixed-use residential structure. Key tasks include evaluating the building's structural health, developing the building concept, determining the architectural style, and planning the layout and structural design.

Plans for a new subdivision to be located in New Sharon will be designed by students in Civil and Environmental Engineering as part of their capstone. 

Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering will provide designs for combining two existing buildings into one, multi-use structure. 

As part of their Senior Design capstone project, a team of civil & environmental engineering students will provide designs, preliminary engineering reports, and cost estimates for a variety of improvements to county parks in Jefferson County. 

Students from the School of Library and Information Science will assist Pathfinders RC&D staff in managing, archiving, and exhibiting the vast collection of the organization's records, helping tell the story of Pathfinder's impact across the region since its formation in the 1970s. 

Students in the course Policy and Persuasion worked with staff from Pathfinders RC&D and the South Central Iowa Local Workforce Development Board to develop policy directions for issues related to five focus areas: rural development hubs, innovation, resource guides, workforce development, mental health, and community capacity.

A team of law students who are enrolled in the the Community Empowerment Law Project (CELP) will assist Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development (Pathfinders), together with the South Central Iowa Local Workforce Development Board (LWDB) to navigate the complex web of federal and state laws governing youth employment and child labor. The project is driven by the organizations’ shared belief that empowering young people is key to the sustainability of rural communities in Iowa.

Students from Public Affairs and from a GIS student organization will help Pathfinders RC&D develop a statewide database and map of accessibility features in Iowa's parks, natural areas, and cultural spaces.  

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. 

For their capstone projects, students in Civic and Environmental Engineering created designs, alternatives, scheduling, and costs to update a community center. Their work focused on several aspects of the building:  the parking lot, the building's entryway, layout and partition of the mainfloor, and connectivity of upstairs meeting room to entryway. 

For their final capstone project, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering designed a site plan for a subdivision on a currently vacant property in West Burlington. The plans maximize the number of single-family homes that can be developed and includes a pocket park and trail.

For their capstone project, Civil and Environmental Engineering students provided analysis, recommendations, designs, and costs to address flooding in West Burlington's Luers Park. 

Roughly 80% of West Burlington's stormwater drains into Luer’s Park, which in turn flows into Izaak Walton Lake to the north. The lake is experiencing severe erosion and sedimentation build-up. Its current outflow structure is unable to discharge an adequate volume of water. 

For their capstone project, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering designed a 10-foot wide trail that includes pedestrian cross improvements at several intersections. The trail will improve pedestrian safety and mobility for people traveling to and from essential shopping areas, schools, a medical center, senior housing, and recreation spaces. 

For their capstone project, graduate students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs will create the first comprehensive arts and cultural plan for West Burlington and Burlington, communities that share a border and strong sense of collaboration while maintaining distinct identities.

The Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) has produced several transportation-related plans, including the Greater Burlington Bike & Pedestrian Plan (2020) to the Region 16 Passenger Transportation Plan (2021). This capstone project for students in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development will build upon these efforts to sustain recent momentum around multi-modal transportation options and identify new opportunities to increase mobility for residents, particularly for residents without reliable access to transportation.