The University of Iowa Planning program and the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) have won three 2025 Exemplary Student Project Awards, recognized by the American Planning Association Iowa Chapter for their impactful capstones. The awards celebrate outstanding urban planning work that occurs in Iowa, honoring innovation in planning and projects, distinguished leaders in our community, and other contributions that advance the planning profession. These two-semester capstone projects were each completed by a group of master’s students for Iowa communities.
This year, the Chapter announced that the West Burlington and Burlington Transportation Opportunity Plan has been recognized for the Exemplary Student Project Award under the Applied Research category.
The Applied Research category honors work that best applies research into the planning process. In this project, The City of West Burlington and Burlington partnered with the University of Iowa's Initiative for Sustainable Communities to develop the plan. The West Burlington & Burlington - Transportation Opportunity Plan team included Molly Higgins, Camille Lust, Ben Palya Ella Phillips, Sanzida Setu Rahman, and Joshua Squires, with faculty advisors Bogdan Kapatsila and Steven Spears.
“[The plan] is a high-quality, professional-level student project that applied the planning process with rigor, inclusivity, and creativity.” the jury notes. “It illustrates how student teams can balance technical analysis with community-driven insights to create actual recommendations.”
The City of West Burlington, Burlington, and University of Iowa’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities was also recognized for the Arts and Culture Plan, under the Contemporary Issues category. This category honors work that best demonstrates the contribution of planning to contemporary issues. The jury noted that this plan “...exemplifies how arts and culture can transcend jurisdictional boundaries, uniting two cities with a shared vision while advancing economic vitality, placemaking, and community identity.” The team was composed of urban planning students Alexi Edmonds, Benjamin DeTaeye, Emma Knobloch, Joseph Grabowski, Ryan Harrington. Two students in Sustainable Development program, Gabriel Sturdevant and Veyda Matos were additionally on the team. The project advisor was Travis Kraus, Professor of Practice and Director, Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities and the team was mentored by planning alumnus Lorin Ditzler.
The final award was presented to the Oskaloosa Downtown Master Plan, under the Contemporary Issues category. The City of Oskaloosa partnered with the University of Iowa’s Initiative for Sustainable Communities and Pathfinders RC&D to develop the master plan and the historic preservation guidelines. The jury stated that the plan “...demonstrates a strong and comprehensive application of the planning process, balancing vision with feasibility and producing a document that is both aspirational and actionable.” The jury adds that “What stands out is how the project team combined traditional urban design principles with creative placemaking and historic preservation, all while grounding their recommendations in local data, community voices, and economic realities.” This capstone project was produced by Bella Caswell, Ben Schmidt, Emmanuel Nakihinga, Farnaz Fatahi, Jovana Kolasinac, and Tori Thayer with Scott Spak as the faculty advisor.
These award-winning projects reflect the University of Iowa’s deep commitment to community-engaged learning, academic excellence, and real-world impact. Through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities, our urban planning students continue to demonstrate the power of thoughtful planning, rigorous research, and creative collaboration with Iowa communities. We celebrate not only the students and faculty whose work has been recognized, but also the cities and partners who make these transformative experiences possible. These honors underscore the role of the University of Iowa as a leader in preparing the next generation of planners to address the challenges and opportunities shaping our communities today and into the future.