Above: Cedar Lake in Winterset.
Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop team touring Red Oak Creek with Mayor Shawnna Silvuis and city staff.
AMES, Iowa –– The Iowa State University College of Design, in collaboration with ISU Extension and Outreach, will host the second Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop (IMDW) July 9–10 on the Iowa State campus.
Following the success of the 2024 IMDW, the two-day event will bring together six mayors from across the state to discuss how waterways and trails impact their respective communities and their economies. Each mayor will share an environmental or urban planning issue in their town, and they will be connected with a team of Iowa State faculty, research and extension staff, and design professionals to discuss potential solutions for their regions.
Participating mayors include:
- Doug Elrod, Bondurant
- John Hawkins, Webster City
- Tom Leners, Winterset
- Rick Murphy Algona
- Dan Scholl, Humboldt
- Shawnna Silvius, Red Oak
Sara McMillan presenting at the 2024 Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop.
Last year’s inaugural workshop welcomed mayors from Atlantic, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Cedar Falls, Fort Madison and Council Bluffs to address 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. This year’s event builds on that foundation by inviting leaders from six additional communities to explore how rivers and trails can enhance economic development in their regions.
The goal is for the IMDW to become a flagship program for the College of Design. As the event’s reach continues to grow, it will offer new opportunities for the college to uphold and advance the university’s land-grant mission, said dean Luis Rico-Gutierrez. The accelerated workshop allows the college to bring meaningful contributions to Iowa communities — on their terms.
“We are building a mechanism that helps communities understand what success looks like for them in the future,” Rico-Gutierrez said. “These discussions don’t stop at the workshop. We are connecting these city leaders with the resources needed to make their ideas a reality.”
Mayor John Hawkins, of Webster City, exploring Brewer Creek.
In addition to Rico-Gutierrez, resource team members include:
- Carlton Basmajian, associate professor of urban planning and development, ISU College of Design
- Austin Dunn, assistant professor of landscape architecture, ISU College of Design
- Laura Kessel, principal, RDG Planning & Design
- Steven Lewis, president, Thinking Leadership
- Sara McMillan, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, ISU College of Engineering
- Erin Olson-Douglas, associate dean for extension and outreach, ISU College of Design, and director of the ISU Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development program
Joining Dunn, McMillan and Olson-Douglas on the Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop management team are:
- Brianna Bona, fifth-year landscape architecture student and undergraduate research assistant
- Chloe McAninch, grant specialist, Institute for Design Research and Outreach (IDRO)
- Julie Robison, assistant director, Institute for Design Research and Outreach (IDRO)
- Carl Rogers, associate professor and chair of landscape architecture, ISU College of Design
- Laurel Waterman, program coordinator, Institute for Design Research and Outreach (IDRO)
Iowa Mayors’ Design Workshop team and city staff crossing Cedar Creek on a floating bridge at Cedar Lake in Winterset.
Additionally, ISU Extension and Outreach community and economic development field specialists will be in attendance sharing their expertise on housing, tourism, small business development and leadership. The specialists and the communities they serve include:
- Lynn Adams, Atlantic and Council Bluffs
- Jennie Hargrove, Creston
- Lindsay Henderson, Webster City
- Victor Oyervides, Ames
- Omar Padilla, Marshalltown
- Ann Vogelbacher, Clarion
Civic Hydrology interdisciplinary studio
Students from the spring 2025 Civic Hydrology studio presenting their 30 foot model of Atlantic to Mayor Grace Garrett.
Case studies presented at the 2024 IMDW led to the development of the Civic Hydrology interdisciplinary studio taught by Dunn and McMillan. The collaborative spring 2025 studio focused on identifying solutions to restore the Bull Creek corridor in Atlantic and redevelop the Cedar City area of Cedar Falls into a vibrant recreational district.
The studio brought together students from two courses — the DSNS 5460: Civic Hydrology studio and the ABE 4340: Ecosystem Restoration Engineering class. In Cedar Falls, students designed a master plan for the area along the Cedar River and provided detailed designs for key sites, such as an amphitheater and gathering spaces near the riverfront.
For Bull Creek, the student team highlighted four distinct zones that could be used for stormwater storage, managing downstream flows, detention basins and educational opportunities. The group also built a 30-foot model of the creek that was used as a centerpiece for the community open house in May.
After weeks of conducting research, speaking with city leaders, making site visits and engaging with their communities, both student teams presented their findings to stakeholders. These recommendations can be used by Cedar Falls and Atlantic to inform decisions and develop grant applications for future project funding.
“These deliverables were comprehensive and displayed how deeply students were engaged with these communities,” said Dunn. “Both mayors were extremely receptive to the student proposals. I believe this studio brought a lot of value to these communities in terms of bringing new folks into the conversation when it comes to planning for the future.”
Discoveries from this year’s event could inspire similar projects and courses for Iowa State students.
The 2025 IMDW is supported by Iowa State’s Office of the Vice President for Research with additional support from the Office of the Vice President for Extension and Outreach, the College of Design, the King Excellence Fund, Shive-Hattery and IDRO.
Contacts
Luis Rico-Gutierrez, Dean, College of Design, lrico@iastate.edu
Austin Dunn, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture, awdunn@iastate.edu
Lauren Johnson, Communications Specialist, College of Design, laujohn2@iastate.edu
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