As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning created a Comprehensive Plan for Cedar County.

Cedar County has functioned without a current comprehensive plan many years.  The initial and last Comprehensive Plan 1980-2000 for Cedar County was completed in June 1980 with the assistance of the East Central Intergovernmental Association, although subsequent plans have helped shape policy and rural development decisions, such as a Community Builder Plan, Housing Needs Assessment, Hazard Mitigation Plan (2015), and a Land Use Plan (2006).

A comprehensive plan consists of goals and objectives that establish the county's vision for the future. The comprehensive plan is not a legal document. It does not dictate how the community is to be developed, but is meant to outline a possible future that could occur over a defined period through the use of planning and investment policies, and regulatory tools. The comprehensive plan contains policy goals for many aspects of the community including: land use, transportation, housing, parks and open space, infrastructure, intergovernmental collaboration and economic development. The planning process included significant outreach for public input, including a series of public meetings throughout Cedar County.  Key aspects of the Comprehensive Plan are the Future Land Use map, the county’s visual guide to the future, and the GIS based tool for decision-making with respect to new development.