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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Lake Delhi Final Presentation

Lake Delhi De-Centralized Wastewater Treatment Alternatives

Published
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Academic year
2017-2018

Environmental Engineering students evaluated decentralized wastewater treatment alternatives for three sites in Lake Delhi, a popular recreational area in Eastern Iowa, demonstrating various designs and solutions that could be considered throughout the Lake Delhi community. 

DeWitt Referral Center

DeWitt Referral Center Retail Management Recommendations

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018

Through a graduate assistantship from the Tippie College of Business, an MBA student worked alongside IISC staff to develop recommendations for retail inventory management policies and procedures for the DeWitt Referral Center, a non-profit organization that serves a resource for local families experiencing hardship or crisis. 

 

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Clinton Downtown Mural

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

MFA student Ali Hval designed and painted a mural in downtown Clinton, Iowa, assisted by fellow MFA student Marina Ross.

Artist Ali Hval was selected by the Office of Outreach & Engagement to design and install a mural for an exterior wall located in downtown Clinton.  She recruited fellow artist and MFA student Marina Ross to provide assistance. The project was made possible by a collaboration between two university outreach and engagement programs, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) and Arts Share. 

Students test video equipment in the IDEAL lab

Community Storytelling Project - Grant Wood Loop

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018

Students from a variety of disciplines taking Community Development in the Upper Midwest produced videos that tell stories from the Grant Wood Loop, located in eastern Iowa, through their own experiences in the region and interviews with local residents. 

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Attracting Young Families to Jackson County

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning developed strategies and recommendations to position and market Jackson County as a top choice in the region for young families making residential location decisions. 

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Clinton Economic Development Plan

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning created an economic development plan for the City of Clinton and surrounding micropolitan area.

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Cedar County Vision Plan

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning created a Vision Plan to support Cedar County's efforts to earn Great Places designation through the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Concurrent with the development of the Cedar County Comprehensive Plan, students developed a Cedar County visioning document to support an application for Iowa Great Places designation, a competitive program administered by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. 

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Cedar County Comprehensive Plan

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning created a Comprehensive Plan for Cedar County.

Marketing students visit Mason City's North End neighborhood

Branding Mason City's North End Business District

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

Juniors in the Tippie College of Business Marketing Institute developed brand alternatives for Mason City’s North End Commercial District, with a goal of uniting the area’s current and future small business owners under a common effort to attract customers and revitalize the neighborhood. 

Public Health Class

Mason City "Aging in Place" Public Health Campaigns

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

Graduate students in the College of Public Health developed campaigns for the Mason City community that address issues related to the increasing proportion of older residents in the community.   The public health campaigns were tailored to help Mason City residents better "age in place", which can mean helping individuals stay in their own homes longer, as well as helping the community adapt and develop resources that make Mason City functional and attractive for older residents.

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Mason City Architectural Inventory Online Platform

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

Graduate students in the School of Library & Information Science built a framework and online platform for archiving data related to Mason City architecture.

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"Building Our Brand" Downtown Murals - Brick Furniture Design & Installation

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

MFA student Ali Hval designed murals with "prairie style" themes for two downtown Mason City locations as part of the community's "Building Our Brand" campaign.   Ali also painted the mural designed for the Brick Furniture building.

This is the North End campaign poster

Mason City North End Neighborhood Public Health Campaign

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

Graduate students in the College of Public Health developed a public health campaign for the Mason City's North End neighborhood to combat negative perceptions in order to improve residents' health and well-being.    

This campaign seeks to improve perceptions of Mason City's North End neighborhood.  Negative stigmas attached to the neighborhood, often considered run-down or dangerous, can have an adverse effect on health and wellness.  Data suggests that perceptions don't necessarily match reality. 

Urban and Regional Planning students meet with residents in Mason City

Mason City North End Neighborhood Plan

Published
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Academic year
2017-2018
Partner

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning developed a plan for Mason City's North End Neighborhood.

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Regional Brownfields and Social Vulnerability

Published
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Academic year
2016-2017

In a report to the the East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA), a student in the Geographical & Sustainability Studies: Senior Project Seminar class completed an independent project that evaluated spatial relationships between Brownfields sites and public school buildings, using free and reduced lunch rates as an indicator of vulnerability.  

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North Iowa Farmers Market Site Evaluation

Published
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Academic year
2016-2017
Partner

In a report to the City of Mason City and North Iowa Farmers’ Market Board of Directors, a student in the Geographical & Sustainability Studies: Senior Project Seminar class completed an independent project that evaluated two Mason City farmers market site locations based on mobility and accessibility indicators. 

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Southbridge Industrial Park Utility and Drainage Improvements

Published
Friday, February 24, 2017
Academic year
2014-2015
Partner

Students in the Civil & Environmental Engineering program conducted a project that provided water utility improvements, future sanitary sewer projects, stormwater management, water quality, and flood protection in the Southbridge Industrial Park in Sioux City, IA to support its growth and the attraction of new industries to the area.

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Perry Creek Flood Control and Design

Published
Friday, February 24, 2017
Academic year
2014-2015
Partner

Widening, straightening, embankment work, conduit reconstruction, levees, drainage structures, public and private utilities relocation, bridges, street construction, and appurtenant flood control measures to protect persons and property in the Perry Creek Valley. The project started at the Missouri River and continued north upstream to the city limits. Phases 1 through 4 are complete. The Phase 4 Levee raise was completed to 23rd Street in 2012.

Maquoketa Art Experience final presentation

Maquoketa Art Experience Marketing

Published
Monday, February 6, 2017
Academic year
2016-2017

Students from the School of Journalism & Mass Communication created a strategic marketing plan to attract artists and art enthusiasts to the Maquoketa Art Experience, a non-profit organization with a physical community space in downtown Maquoketa.

Meghann Foster Strategic Communications Class

ECIA Communications Plan

Published
Monday, February 6, 2017
Academic year
2016-2017

Students from the School of Journalism & Mass Communication created a strategic communications plan for East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) that established internal standards for communicating to members and residents in their region.