Iowa City Downtown District’s director of place management charts new future for organization

IOWA CITY — Ian Dunbar, the Iowa City Downtown District’s first-ever director of place management, is looking to chart a new path as the organization enters its next chapter.

The Des Moines native and University of Iowa graduate was hired in the newly created role in late 2025.

Dunbar said the various aspects of his role all circle back to promoting and enhancing the character of downtown. In a practical sense, that means continuing to maximize efficiency of the district’s existing services, expanding public art and managing district wide events.

Dunbar also works on connecting with businesses, community members and city officials and balancing the priorities each group has for the downtown area.

“Our main goal is making things clean, safe and welcoming. On top of that, making sure that things are accessible for everybody. Part of it is just being able to check the pulse of the city and understand what's needed. … It’s really a mix of just understanding arts and culture and also understanding more about practical knowledge that you may need to be able to implement those projects, because they just don't come out of thin air,” Dunbar said of the role.

Returning to ‘Paradise of the Midwest’

Upon graduating from the University of Iowa after studying German and environmental policy, Dunbar moved to Germany to begin a master’s program in comparative literature and linguistics.

“I think the overall standard of living is just a little bit different, so different priorities, but I think it's kind of aligned with Iowa City in terms of community values. People love to get out and celebrate the arts,” Dunbar said of his time in Germany.

Dunbar decided return to Iowa City to further study environmental policy and planning. Prior to his role at the downtown district, he worked with Sustainable Landscape Solutions.

“I knew I wanted to come back to Iowa City. Specifically, I've always told people that I think it's one of the paradises of the Midwest. I know it sounds cheesy, but I mean, just being from Des Moines, it's always been gray and lots of concrete and driving from one location to the other and this city was just sort of built with walkability and accessibility in mind,” he said.

Connecting with the expanded community

The Iowa City Council recently approved the renewal of the organization’s Self-Supported Municipal District, which updates property tax levy rates and expands the district’s boundaries for the next 10 years.

A SSMID, as the district is called, is an area where taxpayers have given permission for the city to levy an additional tax on property owners to raise money for specific purposes within the district’s boundaries. In the case of the Iowa City Downtown District, it provides funding for downtown beautification efforts, business support and additional marketing.

As a part of the downtown district’s renewal, areas as far south as Prentiss Street will be included in the district once the new SSMID takes effect July 1. The expanded boundaries also include a portion of the north side.

Proposed Iowa City Downtown District boundary changes

Iowa City Council will vote on the SSMID renewal proposal at a city council meeting next month.

Source: Iowa City Downtown District

In preparation of the expansion, Dunbar is working to maximize the district’s downtown ambassadors program and expand public awareness. The ambassadors program acts as both a hospitality and maintenance service for the district. Individual ambassadors help to clean up the downtown area and can connect residents and visitors with various services.

Beyond that, Dunbar and the rest of the team will be seeking feedback on public art and other initiatives within the new district boundaries.

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“We always have big ideas, and we're always testing them out, and we will continue to have those big ideas. … We're just gonna keep doing what we have been doing, hopefully getting people excited about coming downtown and getting people to walk around and not just drive, and hopefully just connect people,” said Dunbar.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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