The City of Waterloo (pop. 67,798) sought assistance with the development of a Neighborhood Plan for Church Row, a core neighborhood located near downtown in order to foster a more safe, attractive, and welcoming area that provides opportunities for economic development, healthy and affordable living, and a high quality of life for residents.

The story of Waterlooâ€s Church Row neighborhood, in many ways, reflects the past, present, and future of the entire Waterloo community. The historic and grand homes of Church Row convey a sense of the prosperity at the turn of that 20th century that made Waterloo known as the “Factory City of Iowa”. The neighborhoodâ€s early inhabitants were prominent bankers, real estate developers, business executives, and other wealthy residents attracted to the area because of its panoramic vista and close proximity to the economic heart of the city. Today, those historic properties are home to an increasingly diverse population who, as part of the backbone for the local labor force, are no less vital to the economic well-being of the entire community. Church Row continues to contribute substantially to the cultural and economic capital of the city.

Like Waterloo, Church Row is both a place of boundless opportunity and complex challenges. Community and neighborhood assets provide a strong foundation for improving prosperity and quality of life, while areas of neglect, disinvestment, and inequity require bold interventions and innovate ways of thinking. More than a collection of houses and buildings, neighborhoods form around the people who live there- neighbors with a shared desire to feel safe and content in the place they call home.

This Church Row Neighborhood Plan is meant to spur improvements in the neighborhood and serve as a model for how community-building and a neighborhood approach can drive positive change throughout Waterloo. In neighborhood planning, existing assets serve as the foundation for imagining and creating a better future. Careful planning and investment built around inclusion and collaboration can help Church Row achieve a stable and vibrant future that provides a high quality of life for its residents.

The plan sets forth neighborhood goals and objectives, as well as specific, actionable strategies designed for both short-term and long-term change. Of course, the success of any plan relies on local champions and engaged stakeholders working toward shared goals. Fortunately, many individuals and organizations both inside and outside the neighborhood care deeply about making Church Row a safe and welcoming home for current and future families.

In addition to creating the neighborhood plan, the Church Row Planning team studied and ranked the visible exterior condition of all homes in the neighborhood. The results of the study can be used to think about targeted programming to help maintain the quality of homes and stabilize the neighborhood.

As a step towards addressing inequities and racial disparities, the City of Waterloo City Council passed the Fair Chance Initiative, an ordinance which “bans the box,” removing questions about criminal history from job applications and preventing private employers from asking about an applicantâ€s criminal history until the end of the hiring process. Ban the Box laws seek to remove barriers to employment, decrease recidivism, and improve the reentry process for returning citizens. Although thirteen states have ban the box laws for private employers, Iowa does not and Waterloo, in October 2019, became the first municipality in Iowa to pass such an ordinance. In January 2020, the ordinance was challenged in court and, in April 2020, the district court found for the City of Waterloo. The ordinance went into effect on July 1, 2020. The suing party filed an appeal, which is pending before the state Supreme Court.

Because of the uncertain future of the Fair Chance Initiative, Waterloo wants to build advocacy tools that will (1) demonstrate support for a state-wide ban the box initiative; (2) document employers†support for, and the benefits of, the ban the box initiative; and (3) track current compliance with the initiative and/or identify best practices for capturing the impact of the ordinance in the future.

The goal for the law students was to look at the impact of the FCI within the City, the positive or negative effects, and overall reaction of employers within the City. Due to the newness of the ordinance, compounded by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, quantitative data wasn’t available to show effects on Waterloo.

The law students reported on the history of BTB in Waterloo, conducted a comparative analysis of other jurisdictions†BTB laws, and recommendations for the City to improve implementation of the ordinance and to further the underlying principles of the BTB law, should it be struck down.

Community Risk Reduction is defined as “a process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the integrated and strategic investment of resources (emergency response and prevention) to reduce their occurrence and impact” (Vision 20/20).

In order to develop their own local community risk reduction strategy, the Waterloo Fire Rescue department sought the services of ICIGO to complete a key part of the overall risk reduction strategy- a Community Risk Assessment.

This community risk assessment study will help identify opportunities for emergency management interventions to reduce the potential for hazards and risks in the community. This information can be used to assist in providing proactive prevention activities and to help with decisions on further community funding for certain areas or activities.

The study is not without limitations. Countless variables exist that contribute to risk for any one person or area. Furthermore, certain policies, behaviors, and actions may skew actual risk. For example, crime incidents are likely to be higher in areas that are heavily policed. This assessment is not necessarily a predictor of future events, but can be used as a tool for identifying opportunities for targeted interventions.

Using best practices and resources, the project team developed a process for evaluating risk in Waterloo. It is worth noting that no one single way for assessing risk exists- the process for the project was developed through collaboration and consultation with the community partners.

The objective for this project was to assess risk in order to determine areas of concern in Waterloo, Iowa based on historical occurrences, the built environment, and social vulnerability.

This analysis primarily focuses on spatial relationships (visualized as maps) that community partners can use to identify areas where intervention and resources can be introduced to mitigate that risk.

For this project, historical occurrences includes a snapshot of crime, EMS, and fire incidents from 2018-2020. Various service organizations in Waterloo use different database methods, which is a limitation for any on-going risk assessment process.

In addition to this report, a GIS geodatabase was created and shared with the community partners. Opportunities for further study and recommendations for improved local practices are included in this report.

The City of Waterloo is considering alternatives for redevelopment of a site that was the location of the now-closed Edison Elementary School. One of the most important considerations for the project would be that it would both fit and enhance the character of the surrounding neighborhood.

A University of Iowa engineering project team, in consultation with the City of Waterloo, was tasked with redeveloping the former Edison Elementary School site into a wonderful new neighborhood. The design produced by the engineering team consists of a residential area with single-family homes, a park, a transitional area with duplexes, and a commercial area at the south end of the site. In particular, the single-family residential area includes 16 lots totaling 3.01 acres, as well as a park totaling 1.62 acres which includes an exercise trail. The transitional area includes four lots totaling 0.78 acres and the commercial area includes two lots totaling 0.8 acres.

Using AutoCAD Civil 3D, the team created a master plan for the neighborhood that includes the residential, commercial, and open space layouts, as well as the corresponding access roads, sidewalks, utility locations, stormwater and sewer system locations, cut and fill, and elevations. The engineering team provided the City a comprehensive design set and analysis which includes:

Overall site design of neighborhood layout
Design of stormwater management
Design of trail within the park
Design of Evergreen Ave extension
Design of new water main
Grading plan of entire site
Construction cost estimate

The City of Waterloo hopes to replace two pedestrian bridges along the Cedar Prairie Trail that cross Black Hawk Creek. Both existing bridges are located south of Ranchero Road. The northern bridge spans approximately 250 feet and the southern bridge spans approximately 150 feet. The existing bridges were built on top of an old railroad track and are thus elevated by existing railway embankments. The current structure was built in the late 19th century as a railroad bridge, and is currently in in poor shape- there are no suitable detours available for the casual trial user if this crossing is closed. The two existing bridges are currently experiencing severe deterioration such as corrosion, dry rot, and broken cross bracing, as well as significant debris in the waterway. Additionally, the City of Waterloo would like to create more aesthetically pleasing bridges along the Cedar Prairie Trail.

The Civil & Environmental Engineering project team produced a preliminary engineering report to help local officials make decisions about how to improve or replace the Cedar Prairie Trail pedestrian bridge. The study will provide designs, renderings, and cost estimates. The team began by proposing five alternatives for the alignment of the bridges and trail, with several design alternatives for the bridges themselves. After meeting with the clients, the team determined to pursue preliminary designs for two alignment alternatives, with a constructed bridge made of steel framing with a wood deck for one alternative and a prefabricated steel bridge for the second alternative. Additionally, the team recommends removing the existing railway embankments as a secondary phase for the project. The final report includes design alternatives and cost estimates.

The City of Waterloo recently transitioned away from a combined sewer system, but problems remain as individual sump pumps in residential homes discharge onto the street or surrounding properties. Sump pump discharge entering the sanitary sewer system has caused sewer overflows, basement backups, and ice & algae growth. The engineering team analyzed existing infrastructure and topography to determine appropriate courses of action to resolve these water issues.

The three-part solution includes installing drain tile, building rain gardens, and allowing individual homeowners to route their sump pump discharge into nearby waterways. To encourage residents to participate in the solutions, the team recommended that the city consider incentives for properties to disconnect their sump pumps from the sanitary sewer and connect to appropriate outlets. As many of the areas have a large percentage of houses with access to the existing infrastructure, many properties will be able to disconnect immediately without additional infrastructure built. The team also prioritized areas where the City can focus attention on constructing solutions in order to see the greatest impact of improvments.

As part of its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, the Waterloo Public Library wants to increase its outreach to the business community. This includes start-ups and established businesses. The library and its staff offer a variety of services and resources for businesses including assistance with secondary research, training on how to use social media, and meeting / conference rooms that can be used free of charge. The library wants to be viewed as more than a place to check-out books. They want local businesses to view them as an extension of their organizations.

Marketing student teams created public relations and marketing campaigns to generate awareness among the business community of the libraryâ€s services.

The Marketing Institute teams will competed against each other to pitch their campaign idea, with the winning team selected by the libraryâ€s staff.

The Church Row Neighborhood is located southwest of downtown Waterloo Iowa, across the Cedar River and just south of John Deereâ€s Waterloo Works. The neighborhood, which consists of many historic homes and churches from the turn of the 20th Century, has evolved considerably over the years. The neighborhood is currently home to a sizeable population of racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants.

Though the neighborhood has good proximity to many of the major activity centers and employers in the region, the presence of roadways designed for high volume and/or speed make access to these amenities difficult. The neighborhood is bounded by US Highway 63 and 218 from northwest and northeast and arterial one-way streets (5th Avenue and 6th Avenue) on the east and southeast. The heart of the neighborhood is almost exclusively residential, requiring residents to traverse these highways to access local shops, jobs and schools. In addition, though public transportation is provided in the neighborhood, the most easily accessible routes serve a limited number of destinations.

These conditions mean that although residents tend to have low household incomes, they are also heavily reliant on private cars to access work and daily necessities.

The problem of low-income residents†mobility being constrained by high volume roadways is not unique to Church Row or Waterloo. It is a common problem in cities across the United States. These factors have several negative effects on these neighborhoods, including limiting the usefulness of physically active transportation and inexpensive modes such as walking and cycling, even in a neighborhood whose design otherwise encourages these things. It also exposes residents to higher risk of being involved in crashes, even as motorists. Additionally, streets designed almost exclusively to handle large volumes of traffic adjacent to commercial spaces limit the use and vibrancy of these spaces, potentially stunting economic development in the area.

This plan examines transportation improvements that can improve the quality of life for residents in the Church Row Neighborhood. In particular, it focuses on the needs of the people who live along and use the neighborhoodâ€s streets every day and provides recommendations to equitably balance the needs and safety of residents with those of regional traffic. By rebalancing the transportation environment in Church Row, the hope is to achieve a more sustainable and equitable neighborhood from a social, economic, and environmental standpoint.

Four student groups focused on distinct, yet overlapping housing issues:

Increasing homeownership opportunities
Supporting low-income homeowners
Creating sustainable housing rehab
Improving landlord practices
In very concise terms, the groups recommended 1) appropriate staffing for the soon-to-be-formed Housing Task Force; 2) a data-driven analysis to better understand impediments to homeownership, housing affordability, and housing rehab; 3) a more accessible database of housing resources available to residents; and 4) redesigning landlord policies.

In the following semester, a new group of students continued delving into housing policy and began the work of developing resources. The Spring 2021 recommendations and action steps can be found here: https://iisc.uiowa.edu/housing-policy-resources-part-ii.

The geography students will use GIS applications to create a user-friendly online map that allows residents to easily access boundary information of distinct parts of the city, including all 31 neighborhood associations, wards and precincts, census tracts, and more.