DES MOINES – From Sioux City to Fairfield and Malvern to Decorah, the Iowa Great Places program has given Iowans a lot to brag about.
Created in 2005, the program has designated 41 Iowa Great Places and recognizes communities that enhance local places while maintaining their unique character.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs invites Iowa communities to apply online by May 1 for Iowa Great Places designation. In reviewing the applications, the Iowa Great Places Citizens Advisory Board looks for community-development plans that exemplify bold thinking and innovation, foster a sense of place and identity and demonstrate a commitment to a community’s overall vitality and quality of life.
Designation as an Iowa Great Places is both a mark of civic pride and a call to action. Designated communities demonstrate a vision that values their assets while challenging themselves to set realistic goals for the future. Once designated, communities are offered professional-development training and technical assistance through the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. Designation lasts for five years and provides an opportunity to receive funding for a related vertical-infrastructure project over the course of the five-year period.
The program aligns state and local resources to cultivate authentic qualities of Iowa neighborhoods, districts, towns and regions in order to make them great places to live and work. The designated places should share a broad vision that involves clear strategies, significant partnerships and a focus on developing local and regional assets in the following areas:
• arts and culture
• architecture
• diversity
• entrepreneurial incentives for business development
• historic fabric (resources, sites, etc.)
• housing options
• natural environment
• amenities
Applicants should visit www.iowaartscouncil.slideroom.com to submit an application by May 1. The Iowa Great Places program is administered by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information is available at www.iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111.