Graduate students in a communications campaigns course partnered with several different organizations across the Siouxland region to complete six different communication campaigns about different attractions and assets in the Siouxland region.

Graduate students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning researched the following five greenspace priorities for the City of Sioux City and created recommendations on how best to increase greenspaces downtown: opportunities for adding greenspaces along sidewalks; opportunities and designs for adding a pocket park to the downtown; opportunities for green roofs and rooftop gardens; opportunities for improving soil permeability and restoration in greened areas; and opportunities for linking downtown greenspace to bike trail access points.

The City of Iowa City requested that students in the Entrepreneurial Management Institutes’ Business Consulting Course research what young professionals are looking for in a place to live, create messages that the City and ICAD could use to market the ways in which Iowa City fulfills these criteria, and research the strategies and platforms that the City and ICAD can use to reach young professionals most effectively.

To help the City of Iowa City continue to foster the benefits of its natural areas, students from the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences conducted two research projects on the ecological services provided by the parks and open spaces in the city. The first project used hedonic pricing to research how the valuation of different kinds of open spaces contribute to the values of detached single-family homes.

Urban and Regional Planning students examined trends of income inequality in the Iowa City metropolitan area and developed a plan identifying income inequality trends in Iowa City, case studies of similar areas, and strategies for supporting affordable housing in the community; poster displaying results and recommendations; and presentation displaying results and recommendations.

Students in the Entrepreneurial Management Institute explored, researched, and produced recommendations on ways that the Economic Development group could effectively market their programs throughout the county, create and maintain communication and public relations with smaller communities, and increase usage of the group’s resources for recruiting new businesses and retaining existing businesses.

Urban and Regional Planning students created the Trails economic impact plan that provides research on the benefits of the current trails system in Decorah, Iowa and provides recommendations on how to continue expanding it as well as a presentation displaying research and results, and a poster displaying research and results.

Students from the School of Art & Art history developed two public art pieces. The first project emblematizes the Decorah eagles in a sculpture that celebrates the natural assets of Winneshiek County. The second playfully acknowledges the mythical gnome-like “nisse” of Norwegian culture through several small ceramic doors and windows that will be displayed in local parks for the mischievous “nisse” to use.

Students in the School of Urban & Regional Planning conducted an economic impact analysis of extending the current fiber optic system and provided recommendations on how best to continue enhancing the service and a 28E partnership between six stakeholders.

Civil and environmental engineering students determined the best location for a new nature center and created preliminary 3D designs for the structure near Decorah, IA.

Neste Valley Recreational Area sits just 2.5 miles from Decorah and was sited to be its next destination park. The Winneshiek County Conservation Board envisioned a variety of recreation offerings at the park, including picnicking, camping, hiking trails and conservation education.

MFA students in the School of Art and Art History created 10 small statues of nisse, gnome-like figures from Scandinavian folklore, for the 2015 Nordic Fest Celebration.

Following the success of the "Gnomes on the Trail" event during the 2013 Nordic Fest celebration, the Winneshiek County Conservation Board aimed to create new gnome statues along the trail for trail users to interact with.

Researchers from the GEEMaP program, College of Engineering, and Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences collaborated to predict and map where frac sand mines may be most likely to occur in Winneshiek County if the industry enters the area.