The School of Planning and Public Affairs is committed to admitting a diverse student body and supporting a learning environment in which many values and perspectives contribute to the richness of the educational experience, to the fields of planning, public policy, and public administration, and to the communities in which we we live and work.
For their capstone project, graduate students in Public Affairs worked with city officials to identify strategies to address drug misuse trends among youth in Clinton, Iowa.
Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed recommendations to "green" downtown Clinton by improving opportunities for cycling.
Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed recommendations for revitalizing Clinton's alleyways with improved pavers, public art, and other modifications.
Downtown alleyways often serve important functions, such as waste management or service entrances for businesses. However, communities are increasingly recognizing alleyways as opportunities to create unique public spaces while also improving water runoff.
Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed recommendations to help address homelessness in Clinton.
Students in a course in the School of Planning and Public Affairs examined ways to reignite Clinton's Mayor's Youth Commission. They made recommendations about this entity, as well as other ways to better engage teens in the civic fabric of the community.
For their capstone project, students in Planning and Sustainable Development created plans and strategies to develop Liberty Square, a narrow stretch of primarily city-owned property that runs between and adjacent to the split four lanes of Highway 30.
For their capstone project, students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs created an updated Housing Needs Assessment, a tool to help decision-makers ensure that existing and future residents can find safe, secure, and quality housing that meets their needs and budgets.
Students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs course Environmental Policy researched technical and policy solutions to advance more solar energy generation in Iowa City, with a focus on resilience, economic benefits, and equitable access. UI faculty members Scott Spak, Adam Skibbe, and Travis Kraus worked with local stakeholders to complete the study.
Second-year Master of Public Affairs (MPA) students collaborated with administrators and students at Muscatine Community College in the development of policies and best practices for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing a Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility (SER) Initiative.
Graduate students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs will work in consultation with the City of Manning, the City of Stanton, the City of Cedar Rapids, and Iowa AARP to help Iowa communities reach "age-friendly" status.
For a community to reach "age-friendly" status, they must demonstrate progress towards making communities livable, quality places for all ages. More information about the "age-friendly" program can be found here:
As part of the project students will:
Urban and Regional Planning students in the School of Planning and Public Affairs developed a Story Map to explore and better understand issues surrounding transportation and flooding in the Maquoketa River Watershed.
This project takes the form of a Story Map. A story map compiles photographs, maps, audio, video, and text into a webpage to tell a story.
As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the Master of Public Affairs program developed a list of organizational and policy recommendations to strengthen the Maquoketa Farmers Market and to increase regional collaboration and access to local foods.