Iowa Ideas

Mon Dec 24, 2018

Troubled times on the Mississippi

Brandon Phillips stood behind the controls of the Sierra Dawn in late October, adjusting the control sticks to steer the twin screw towboat up the Mis... READ MORE

Tue Oct 23, 2018

The cost of clean water

In Cedar County, water discharging from the city of Tipton's wastewater facility contains traces of ammonia above the level allowed by federal water q... READ MORE

Mon Oct 22, 2018

Charging up: What Iowa will need as it sees more electric vehicles

When Roger Brown had his first electric car, a Nissan Leaf, he would have to drive to Cedar Falls - more than 30 miles from his home in Allison - to c... READ MORE

Sat Oct 20, 2018

Autonomous vehicles are coming. Cities need to start planning. Now

The day autonomous vehicles outnumber manned vehicles is coming, and experts say transportation and urban planners, public policy makers and others mu... READ MORE

Fri Sep 21, 2018

Iowa Ideas: The key to growing rural Iowa, Des Moines Social Club founder says, is in leadership

CEDAR RAPIDS - Zachary Mannheimer believes any rural town in America can thrive as long as it has two things: a strong development plan and a leader t... READ MORE

Sat Jun 23, 2018

Keeping time: Tradition of big band and polka dances surviving, but smaller

A hundred years ago, Bill Ackerman's ancestors farmed the land surrounding his present-day home, which they also built.... READ MORE

Thu Jun 21, 2018

Some towns continue to shrink, but many Iowans are choosing to stay

BANCROFT - When Krista Looft first moved to the north-central Iowa town of Bancroft in 2012, she was a little concerned about starting a life here.... READ MORE

Wed Jun 20, 2018

How many Iowans are connected to high-speed internet? Depends on your source

For many Iowans, broadband internet connectivity has come to mean more than streaming their favorite TV show or hopping online to see how their fantas... READ MORE

Tue Jun 19, 2018

How Iowa towns can revitalize vacant buildings

Doors and window sashes are no longer made in Dubuque's Historic Millwork District. Even so, symbols that it was once a hub of industrial activity are... READ MORE

Tue Jun 19, 2018

Iowa's rural roads are far more deadly than city highways

MARSHALL COUNTY - Just 35 minutes into the new year in 2017, Marshall County saw its first fatal crash.... READ MORE

Sat Apr 28, 2018

How we got here: School consolidation leads to 11 percent drop in number of districts

The number of Iowa's public-school buildings and districts has been declining steadily for decades.... READ MORE

Thu Apr 26, 2018

When Iowa (almost) revived commuter rail

On a normal day, Iowa City's Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Passenger Station - or Rock Island Depot, as it's commonly called - sits relati... READ MORE

Thu Feb 22, 2018

How we got here: Iowa's population shifts

Rural Iowa has struggled for decades to hang on to its residents. Even as the state's total population has grown - although slowly - most areas have s... READ MORE

Tue Feb 20, 2018

Has TIF been successful for economic development in Iowa?

For years, Coralville was Iowa's bad boy for its aggressive use of TIF - tax increment financing. Soon we could find out if Coralville was actually th... READ MORE

Sat Feb 17, 2018

Investing in the future: Five leaders under 35 discuss how to engage younger Iowans

Ashley Vanorny's path to community service started with the Girl Scouts.... READ MORE

Iowa Ideas 2019
October 3 - 4 | Cedar Rapids

Iowa Ideas is a nonpartisan, statewide learning experience designed to explore the key questions and big ideas that will shape the future of Iowa.

Regional Development