Advocating for Downtown’s Future
Iowa City Downtown District
Advocacy Priorities
Support for the Local Arts Economy
Keep Downtown Clean & Safe
Strengthen a Thriving Economy
Access & Mobility
Foster a Vibrant Nighttime Atmosphere
To create, preserve, and enhance the vibe, vitality, and value of Downtown Iowa City for everyone, we advocate for policies, regulations, and funding that address pressing challenges and support transformative change in the heart of our community.
We champion thoughtful growth that strengthens Downtown as a dense, walkable, and welcoming neighborhood — one that supports local businesses, celebrates arts and culture, and reflects the energy of this proud community. We work to preserve and enhance our historic character and cultural assets while ensuring Downtown remains clean, safe, accessible, and easy to navigate for residents, students, workers, and visitors alike.
Support for the Local Arts Economy
Strengthening policies, funding, and partnerships for Downtown Iowa City as a regional hub for arts and culture. A thriving arts economy reinforces downtown’s identity as a creative center and drives visitation, entrepreneurship, and year-round vibrancy.
Iowa City Downtown District Advocacy Priorities
Keep Downtown Clean & Safe
Strengthen a Thriving Economy
Downtown’s long-term success depends on a dynamic mix of residents, businesses, and industries. We support development strategies and policies that expand opportunity, reduce barriers, and encourage balanced and sustainable growth.
Access & Mobility
A clean, safe, and welcoming downtown is foundational to economic vitality and community confidence. We champion sustained investment in cleanliness services, hospitality engagement, lighting, and coordinated public safety efforts to ensure public spaces are inviting at all hours. Foster a Vibrant
Downtown must be easy and convenient to reach, move through, and enjoy. We champion investments in pedestrian infrastructure, bicycle connectivity, transit reliability, ADA accessibility, and smart parking strategies.
Improving wayfinding, street design, and multimodal options strengthens economic vitality and supports a walkable, sustainable urban core.
Nighttime Atmosphere
A dynamic nighttime economy contributes to downtown’s overall vitality. We advocate for policies and citywide collaboration that support safe, culturally rich, and economically vibrant evening activity — while balancing quality of life for residents.
Our Priorities
Our FY27 advocacy priorities align with our Strategic Plan objectives and the FY27 budget. To advance progress, we actively engage in and influence decisions and actions at the state and local levels, including the City, County, and the University of Iowa.
Key focus areas include:
n Help launch and stabilize an Arts Alliance
n Support financial investment in operational support for core arts and cultural organizations
n Expand opportunities for the local artist community
Key focus areas include:
n Ensure an expansion of the Downtown Ambassadors area and resources to cover the full ICDD boundaries
n Develop and implement a downtown lighting plan with identified projects, including artist-designed safety features
n Support the expansion of the definition of public safety and investments in partnerships with social service agencies
Key focus areas include:
n Encourage investment in housing for the community, including workforce and mixed-income options
n Ensure ongoing investment in the “Building Change” initiative
n Make a more inclusive and streamlined process for starting and expanding businesses, permits, and fees
n Direct funds to deepen the commitment to the development and expansion of underestimated businesses
n Invest in retail retention and recruitment for all commercial neighborhoods
Key focus areas include:
n Ensure easy and direct connectivity for all modes of transportation and advanced safety on the Burlington Street bridge project
n Advance neighborhood walkability through the adoption of one-way to two-way street conversions
n Expand nighttime transportation options for students and the community
n Improve public transit experience with new transit hub infrastructure
Key focus areas include:
n Support and champion the 500-ft rule economic and public health impacts
n Increase accessibility for sidewalk cafés, street patios, and open dining opportunities
n Expand collaborations with the University of Iowa Harm Reduction and other safety partners
