Over the next year, the growing city of Bondurant will benefit from the assistance of graduate students in the University of Iowa's School of Planning and Public Affairs through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC). Students recently visited this expanding city within the Des Moines metropolitan area to kick off the partnership.

One project will be taken on by a group from each of the school's degree programs. Those in public affairs will compile and analyze information to help determine how to best manage local law enforcement as they expect continued rapid population growth. Currently the City contracts with the Polk County Sheriff’s office for law enforcement needs, and they seek decision-making support about whether they should continue with the current arrangement or how (and when) to choose a different model. 

Students pursuing the masters in urban planning will create a new parks and recreation master plan for the city. The new plan will go beyond playgrounds and align land use with community needs, including health and recreation needs. It will additionally aim to incorporate modern park and recreation plan aspects that include everything from increasing pollinators and tree coverage in parks to improving accessibility for walking routes and emerging activities like pickleball.

For more details about the partnership projects with Bondurant, see the complete article on the IISC website.

IISC is the University of Iowa's foremost engagement program connecting Iowa communities with faculty and students to advance shared goals. Since IISC's beginning, 370 community engagement projects have been completed for cities and towns across the state. The City of Dubuque is the other community university students will be assisting this year.