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.

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.

Journalism & Mass Communication students developed a strategic communications campaign for Main Street Mason City, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization with a mission to “enhance, promote and preserve downtown Mason City as a diverse business, cultural and residential destination, for the benefit of the entire community.”

MFA student Ali Hval designed and painted a mural in downtown Clinton, Iowa, assisted by fellow MFA student Marina Ross.

Artist Ali Hval was selected by the Office of Outreach & Engagement to design and install a mural for an exterior wall located in downtown Clinton.  She recruited fellow artist and MFA student Marina Ross to provide assistance. The project was made possible by a collaboration between two university outreach and engagement programs, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) and Arts Share. 

MFA student Ali Hval designed murals with "prairie style" themes for two downtown Mason City locations as part of the community's "Building Our Brand" campaign.   Ali also painted the mural designed for the Brick Furniture building.

In a report to the City of Mason City and North Iowa Farmers’ Market Board of Directors, students in the Entrepreneurial Management Institute: Business Consulting class provided recommendations for a permanent location for a community farmers market based on preferred characteristics and potential sites.

Students in the Entrepreneurial Management Institute: Business Consulting class conducted research and made recommendations on best competitive practices to attract entrepreneurs and small entrepreneurial businesses to locate in downtown Lost Nation.

Students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning conducted research on best practices for creation of a SSMID for Cedar Rapids, IA. Students held public meetings and worked with CV/NB Main Street staff to acquire the necessary support to pass a SSMID.

Students surveyed best practices of community riverfront redevelopment efforts similar to what was being looked at for the redevelopment of the section of the Mississippi River in Muscatine. The students solicited community input to identify the best uses for the land, ultimately producing a plan for the riverfront.

In order to meet the needs of Burlington's vision to enhance the downtown, students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning completed a market analysis for adaptive reuse of a historic building while also developing an overall plan for encouraging private sector development in partnership with a local non-profit.

Students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning gave four recommendations to the City of Iowa City and the Iowa City Downtown District about waste management in local alleyways in order to increase the use of the sustainability potential of these areas.