AMES, Iowa — The Iowa State University College of Design, in partnership with ISU Extension and Outreach, will host the Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop (IMDW) July 30–31 on the Iowa State campus. Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett and Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, are the only two mayors from southwest Iowa who were invited to the event. Mayors from Cedar Falls, Fort Madison, Marshalltown and Ottuwma were also extended an invitation to attend and present their projects. As we previously reported on KJAN, Mayor Garrett will be working with the College of Design’s team, on projects for Bull Creek and the Schildberg Recreation Areas.

The IMDW will serve as a space to identify and address complex design issues communities in Iowa face, said Erin Olson-Douglas, College of Design associate dean for extension and outreach and director of the ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development program. The two-day workshop will bring together mayors and community leaders from six Iowa towns to connect with ISU faculty, research and extension staff, and design professionals from local firms to enhance the vitality of their regions for current and future generations. 

Modeled after the 2022 Mayors’ Institute on City Design (MICD) the College of Design hosted in Des Moines, the inaugural Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop will focus on water-related issues, including opportunities for the enhancement of riverfront areas, resilient flood management, trails and parks for recreation, adjacent development and integration of nature-based remedies, according to Olson-Douglas.

Learn more about the workshop, HERE.