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.
In conjunction with officials from Linn County Iowa, graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning completed a Windfarm Suitability Analysis study for the unincorporated Linn County area.
Graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning, in conjunction with the City of Iowa City and National Advance Driving Simulator, completed a plan to help Iowa City prepare for the anticipated impacts of automated vehicles on the built environment and community.
As part of the Environmental Policy and Management course, students from the School of Urban and Regional Planning assisted the City of Iowa City with an adaption plan for Terry Trueblood Park.
As a part of the 8 Generational Plan: Envisioning Cities course taught in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, a group of 10 UI students will present their long-term visions for Iowa City as America’s Next Great Regenerative City. This collaborative innovation tournament is the culmination of a new course titled “Eight Generational Planning: Envisioning Cities for Year 2228.” The team of judges, led by Iowa City Mayor Throgmorton, includes local elected officials, planners, researchers, and architects.
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.
As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning created a plan outlining potential opportunities for conversion of low-traffic residential streets to non-vehicular greenways, in addition to developing bicycle and pedestrian routes, for the city of Keokuk, Iowa.
As part of the Planning Sustainable Transportation Course at the University of Iowa School of Urban and Regional Planning, students examined possible design alternatives for Main Street (US Route 218) in downtown Keokuk.
As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the School of Urban & Regional Planning created a redevelopment plan for downtown Keokuk, Iowa.
Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, working in collaboration with the Webster City Community Vitality director and the local business community, completed a strategic plan to revitalize the downtown commercial district through small business growth, building improvements, residential development, and strategies to attract residents and visitors to the area.
Working in collaboration with the City of Webster City Parks & Recreation Department, graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning completed a Parks & Recreation Master Plan for Webster City that promotes appropriate land use, active lifestyles, equity, accessibility, environmental protection, and tourism.
In a report to the Delmar Economic Development Group, a graduate student in the School of Urban & Regional Planning completed an independent project that provides recommendations and identifies resources that help achieve a community-driven vision for the City of Delmar.
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.