City council members for the City of Tama, Iowa, recently adopted a 2040 comprehensive plan created by a team of urban planning students at the University of Iowa. This was quite an historic achievement for the five graduate students since the city’s last plan was completed in 1966. The policies and recommendations formed in the new plan provide a structure for the city’s actions in the next 20 years.

The students’ work addresses topics spanning economic development, housing, transportation, land use, infrastructure and capital improvements, environmental sustainability, culture and quality of life, public health, and intergovernmental cooperation. The student team engaged the public in throughout the process even after the advent of Covid-19 necessitated on-line communication with residents. This process incorporated ideas and values from residents within Tama and the surrounding area.

This extensive engaged learning project was completed over two semesters of the graduate students’ final year. The planning team included Tunazzina Binte Alam, Alex Bradshaw, Harrison Freund, Victoria Halloran and Peterson Wambuu. The production, not to mention the adoption, of such a significant planning document before starting their planning careers reflects on the students’ hard work and professional education at Iowa. The entire plan may be viewed here.