As part of the ICIGO student organization within the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences, students provided GIS mapping and analysis support for the City of Bondurant on five topics: a digitized stream buffer, mapping the community's tree canopy, mapping rental properties, spatial analysis of assessed property valuation, and a sidewalk inventory. 

MFA alum Drew Etienne designed and created a a mural depicting Iowa birds for Bondurant's future Parks and Recreation Facility. 

Located at the Bondurant Regional Trailhead, the Parks and Recreation facility is positioned in a prominent location. Drew Etienne's design encapsulates the beauty of Iowa's natural landscape across all four seasons. The artist statement conveys the inspiration for the design: 

For their capstone project in Civil and Environmental Engineering, students researched best practices for cool and green roofs and applied their findings to the city-owned Five Flags Civic Center. 

Defined as a built environment that experiences higher temperatures than suburban or rural areas, all communities have areas that possess higher heat ratios due to more pavement, fewer trees, and other elements. These are often in downtown. Two increasingly popular methods for addressing urban heat islands are cool and green roofs. 

For their capstone design project, students in Civil and Environmental Engineering prepared a Stormwater Climate Action Plan that addresses current and future problem areas within the city’s stormwater system and provide potential action items to account for climate change effects.

For their capstone design project in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, a team of students analyzed the JFK corridor from Carter Rd to Highway 20 and created designs to improve its safety and accessibility. 

Jamie Weinfurter, an MFA student in studio arts, created a new sculpture using a collection of metal pipes and other parts from former playground equipment. The final design was the result of engaging with teachers, administrators, and students at Audubon Elementary in Dubuque.

On Tuesday, June 18, at 3:00 pm, a new sculpture was unveiled in front of Audubon Elementary School in Dubuque. 

Throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, students from the University of Iowa’s Masters of Public Affairs program partnered with the Carnegie-Stout Public Library staff to undertake the creation of best policies and procedures to enhance social service support for individuals in need while also reducing disruptions in the library.

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.

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 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.

Four students from the College of Engineering's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering completed a study for a possible underpass for pedestrians and cyclists on behalf of the City of Marquette and the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre. They were tasked with figuring costs and best options to connect an existing trail to three other points in the community: the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, Bloody Run Campground, and Timber Ridge Subdivision. The students identified three alternatives, highlighting the pros and cons of each.

Students in a senior capstone project in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering created plans to rehabilitate an abandoned building in Keosauqua, Iowa. The team responded to the client's request to maintain a facade that matches the overall look and feel of the historic downtown; provide residential apartments on the second floor; and create a first-floor restaurant.

As part of their senior capstone project, three students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering designed a new gymnasium for the City of Manning. The project features a new full-sized basketball court that be split in half for practice courts and that will give the city more practice space as well as the ability to host basketball and volleyball tournaments.

Students in Civil and Environmental Engineering created plans for an affordable housing subdivision on five parcels of land in Maquoketa. The project includes stormwater management and remediation of a hazardous chemical. 

For this project, a team of four senior students in Civil and Environmental Engineering designed a subdivision on 94-acres of agricultural land. They calculated various issues for development of the site, including topography, water access and water pressure, future development, and networking to current streets. Their proposed plan will provide 71 new housing units to the City of Maquoketa.

Students in the College of Engineering's Civil and Environmental Engineering department created plans to redevelop an existing green space in Maquoketa. The site was created when several buildings burnt down decades ago, leaving an open space. This space now serves as an informal gathering place for concerts and other public events. The City asked the team to provide plans to formalize the area as an event space, adding a permanent stage and restrooms. 

Students in the Transportation Planning Studio will collaborate with the Corridor MPO and City of Cedar Rapids to develop a guidebook that collects the current state of 15-minute city planning efforts, focused on North American examples. The guidebook will pull together information on initiatives currently underway, processes for developing 15-minute city plans, implementation challenges, and analysis techniques.

Urban & Regional Planning student Mae McDonough completed a StoryMap about Sustainable Stormwater Systems as part of a graduate independent study project. 

This online resource explains the importance of stormwater management, common terminology, management tools, case study research, and funding and technical resources. 

You can access the StoryMap here.

A student in Cinematic Arts created a video to promote the strengths of the city of Clinton. The video has multiple purposes, including to promote tourism and share with prospective businesses. 

IISC staff used GIS to convert legal descriptions in the City of Clinton code into GIS shapefiles to aid city staff and developers.