“There will be nothing like this in Southeast Iowa, or perhaps in the state!” Gregg Mandsager, City Administrator of West Burlington is speaking about a new trailhead park designed by two Urban Planning graduate students, Farnaz Fatahi and Jovana Kolašinac. The pair have earned a reputation for aesthetically inventive plans, creative solutions, and exceeding expectations. 

Mandsager and his team at the City of West Burlington, one of IISC’s partners this year, presented them a challenge:  Create a trailhead park from an empty lot located on a major road with a drainage ditch running through it. The park should include basic amenities, such as a shelter, a map, a water fountain, and a bike station. And please make it truly unique!

A unique opportunity

“We realized the opportunity we had for placemaking,” says Mandsager of the project committee’s request to think outside the box, adding that he wanted it “to stand out and attract residents and visitors alike.”

Before meeting with the committee, Fatahi and Kolašinac created a brief that included existing physical details of the site, which they retrieved largely from Google Earth, and a catalog of visual examples that represented the look and feel they were imagining. The “mood board” was effective. 

“When we started our first meeting, there was some tension,” recalls Kolašinac. “But after we shared our ideas, everyone calmed down. They liked what they saw and gave us permission to keep going.”

Dynamic duo

Experiences like this underline the value of communication and relationship building that are so key to planning projects. The fact that they’ve developed a close working relationship built on mutual respect is visible in the quality of the work they produce.

“I admire Jovana’s commitment to teamwork,” says Fatahi of her friend. While Kolašinac says, “Farnaz has amazing ideas. She has unlimited creativity.”

Together, they’ve worked on five projects, including as part of a larger team developing a master plan for downtown Oskaloosa this year. They recently returned from the APA National Conference where they entered a plan to redesign an intersection in the host city of Denver, that was seeking ways to connect neighborhoods and increase sustainability and safety.

Both women have degrees in architecture and urban design that they earned in their home countries--Fatahi from Iran and Kolašinac from Serbia. Their previous training and experience has been evident in their work since they arrived in the School of Planning and Public Affairs.

“Both Jovana and Farnaz hit the ground running when they joined SPPA, contributing to numerous projects and racking up awards along the way,” said IISC director and project advisor Travis Kraus.  “This project further demonstrated their exceptional skills not only in planning and design but also in communication and building consensus among a highly engaged group who weren’t always on the same page. These are the important ‘soft skills’ that are often as important as the technical components in planning.”

"Spot on"

After their initial meeting with the West Burlington committee, they presented three proposals. “Simply put,” says Mandsager, “their concepts were spot on. We have been truly amazed at the level of their work.”

The three proposals included an outdoor art gallery, an outdoor gym, a solar-powered charging station, and prairie plantings. They are currently combining the aspects most preferred by the committee and will share their final presentation next month.

After graduating this spring, Fatahi and Kolašinac are looking at different work options. Fatahi is interested in active transportation and Kolašinac hopes to work for a firm that will allow her to spend regular time on construction sites.

The department that has been their home for two years will be quieter without them, but their plans will likely make a mark on at least one Iowa community.  Mandsager feels confident the trailhead park will become reality in the not-too-distant future. “The city has set aside funding to begin work or use as match for grants. We couldn’t be happier with their work, and we’re anxious to get started!”