Social Justice

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.

weather-related tools with Spanish words

Dubuque - Language Justice and Translating Extreme Weather and Public Health Information

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

Graduate students from the Division of World Languages, Literature, and Cultures enrolled in the class “Language Justice: Community Engagement” addressed the role of language in civic life. They focused on the experiences of two Dubuque micro-communities--recent immigrants from the Marshall Islands and Guatemala.

an older large White House

Clinton Housing and Homelessness Policy Recommendations

Published
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Academic year
2022-2023
Partner

Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed recommendations to help address homelessness in Clinton. 

Gender Equity in Maquoketa

Maquoketa Gender Equity Policy Study

Published
Thursday, January 6, 2022
Academic year
2021-2022
Partner

Students enrolled in the School of Planning and Public Affairs Public Policy and Persuasion course worked with Maquoketa leaders to develop a set of proposed policy solutions to balance the gender distribution of individuals in public positions.  

Raina Harmon

Advancing Economic Inclusion and Black Entrepreneurship in Iowa City

Published
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
Academic year
2020-2021
Partner

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 economic inclusion and Black advancement in Iowa City.  

Waterloo community visit

Housing Policy & Resources - Part I

Published
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Academic year
2020-2021
Partner

Students in the Fall semester Policy and Persuasion course worked with Waterloo representatives to first identify some of the most pressing issues related to home ownership and affordability, and then to develop policy recommendations for the City moving forward.

Four student groups focused on distinct, yet overlapping housing issues:

Policing

Waterloo Law Enforcement, Mental Health, and Community Relations

Published
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Academic year
2020-2021
Partner

Graduate and advanced undergraduate students in the Department of Sociology & Criminology studied the relationship between law enforcement and mental health cases in Waterloo.

6-way_intersection.png

Church Row Neighborhood: Sustainable and Equitable Transportation

Published
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Academic year
2020-2021
Partner

Combined with the effort to create the Church Row neighborhood plan, a course in the School of Planning & Public Affairs assessed the walkability and accessibility of the Church Row neighborhood, particularly focusing issues of equity that include safety, access to employment and basic needs services, public transportation, parks and open space, and more.

Fair Chance Initiative Flyer

Waterloo Fair Chance Initiative Study

Published
Monday, September 7, 2020
Academic year
2020-2021
Partner

College of Law students in the Community Empowerment Law Project conducted a study to evaluate the implementation and community awareness about the Fair Chance Initiative in Waterloo, also known as "Ban the Box."

Columbus Junction Interview

Columbus Junction Community Storytelling Project, Part 2

Published
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Academic year
2019-2020

Students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning course Community Development in the Upper Midwest interviewed several Chin Burmese residents of Columbus Junction to produce a short film about their sense of home in their new community.

Columbus Junction

Columbus Junction Sesquicentennial: Strategic Communication Plan

Published
Friday, February 7, 2020
Academic year
2018-2019

Students in the Course Advanced Strategic Communications developed communication strategies and defined key goals for the celebration of Columbus Junction's sesquicentennial.

In 2024, Columbus Junction will commemorate 150 years as a community.  By getting an early start on planning with the students at the University of Iowa, Mallory Smith, Columbus Junction Community Development Director, is hoping to use the sesquicentennial event as an opportunity to celebrate the ever-changing Columbus Junction community and promote city improvement projects.

Columbus Junction

Columbus Junction Community Storytelling Project, Part 1

Published
Friday, February 7, 2020
Academic year
2018-2019

Students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning course Community Development in the Upper Midwest worked with Latinx teens in Columbus Junction's Upward Bound program to produce videos and books that help tell the 150 year story of the community through interviews and historical artifacts.

Graduate and advanced undergraduates in urban planning, the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts examined the many challenges facing small- to medium-sized towns in Iowa and elsewhere in the Upper Midwest and work towards community-based solutions.