Iowa Ideas

Fri May 3, 2019

This small Iowa town of 700 has seen $39 million in investments

STANTON - Small, rural communities in Iowa have faced challenges for decades as the urban shift has sapped financial resources, people and energy.... READ MORE

Sat Mar 9, 2019

Cedar Rapids forgivable home improvement loan program issues first loans

CEDAR RAPIDS - The fledgling Neighborhood Finance Corporation of Cedar Rapids has closed on eight loans in the two months since the organization began... READ MORE

Sat Mar 9, 2019

$50K scholarships fuel wave of development in this Wisconsin town, and Cedar Rapids has similar goals

LA CROSSE, WIS. - When the Lyons family was looking to move off French Island, a neighborhood on the outskirts of La Crosse that was closer to work an... READ MORE

Sun Feb 24, 2019

Opportunities for rural Iowa: An uphill battle for mid-sized cities

Iowa is a rural state by most considerations, but it also is a state that is becoming persistently more urban.... READ MORE

Thu Oct 25, 2018

Iowa's affordable housing struggle

Demetrius Cuevas is a Navy veteran suffering from PTSD and with an aging mother in need of care.... 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

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

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

Thu Jan 18, 2018

Announcing: new tracks for Iowa Ideas 2018

We are looking forward to new opportunities, new challenges and new conversations in 2018. With this in mind, we are making a few adjustments to the o... READ MORE

Wed Oct 25, 2017

Iowa towns capitalize on community assets with creative place-making

MAQUOKETA - Rose Frantzen sits on a stool in her Maquoketa studio facing a long canvas. She clenches a handful of different sized brushes in her left ... READ MORE

Fri Sep 22, 2017

Immigrants 'propping up' Iowa population growth

CEDAR RAPIDS - Immigration accounted for more than 40 percent of the state's population growth since 2010, and those new Iowans could provide a counte... 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