Graduate students in the School of Social Work conducted a study to better understand the pervasiveness, causes, and consequences of housing insecurity in Keokuk. 

Civil & Engineering and Sport & Recreation Management students provided design alternatives, cost estimates, and fitness recommendations for a proposed fitness trail connecting several community facilities and amenities in Keokuk.

The community of Keokuk seeks to develop more outdoor recreational opportunities for use of people of all ages, which they consider integral in recruiting and retaining residents. They hope to add new trails and route development, however the cost and access to land can be prohibited.

The University of Iowa Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination (CHEEC), through its Grants to Schools Program, partnered with the Keokuk Community School District to test for lead in school drinking water and provide assistance for the minimal remediation determined to be necessary. 

Graduate students in the College of Public Health developed campaigns for the Mason City community that address issues related to the increasing proportion of older residents in the community.   The public health campaigns were tailored to help Mason City residents better "age in place", which can mean helping individuals stay in their own homes longer, as well as helping the community adapt and develop resources that make Mason City functional and attractive for older residents.

Graduate students in the College of Public Health developed a public health campaign for the Mason City's North End neighborhood to combat negative perceptions in order to improve residents' health and well-being.    

This campaign seeks to improve perceptions of Mason City's North End neighborhood.  Negative stigmas attached to the neighborhood, often considered run-down or dangerous, can have an adverse effect on health and wellness.  Data suggests that perceptions don't necessarily match reality. 

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning developed a plan for Mason City's North End Neighborhood.

As part of their capstone project, second-year graduate students from the University of Iowa’s School of Urban & Regional Planning developed a process to inventory and prioritize brownfield sites on behalf of the East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA), and conducted a feasibility study for a regional land bank. 

Students conducted walkability assessments in two rural Woodbury County Communities. Using data from the assessments, students used ArcGIS Online to create a map of each community’s walkability strengths and weaknesses.

A student in the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences assisted the Siouxland District Health Department with this goal by researching and mapping information about radon concentrations at zip code level throughout Woodbury County.

Students in the Public Health Program completed two projects, both of which focused on increasing awareness and use of safe road-sharing behaviors and bicycling transportation in Iowa City. The first project was focused on the creation of a communications campaign about how sharrows are understood and function as a means for bicyclers and motorists to share the road. The second concerned planning and campaigning for a temporary bike lane that was installed in Iowa City in May 2016.

Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning worked with city officials to provide recommendations and two tools for the City of Dubuque to expand its Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI).

The tools developed included the Priority Model and economic feasibility calculator for rental units. Other recommendations included strategies to engage renters and landlords; innovative funding; interdepartmental cooperation building; and participant engagement and outreach.

Graduate students in the College of Public Health worked with the Cedar Rapids Blue Zones Project™ staff to enhance engagement with the Blue Zones Project™ among target demographics in Cedar Rapids. In particular, students worked to target high school students, aging populations, and faith-based organizations around particular Blue Zones Project™ initiatives like walking MOAIs (groups of individuals forming social circles to support healthy behaviors) and cooking MOAIs.