Iowa City has earned certification as a 4-STAR Community for its work in economic, social and environmental sustainability. The city received its certification Wednesday from the Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating Communities, or STAR Communities, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that works to evaluate and improve sustainability within communities.

University of Iowa faculty and students will partner with Mason City and a five-county region in east-central Iowa on community-betterment projects ranging from art to urban revitalization, officials announced Thursday.