Fairly or unfairly, Des Moines has a solid reputation as one of the nation's least interesting cities. But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this quiet working town might become the Midwest's answer to Austin, Texas.
Most people wouldn't cite Des Moines as one of the nation's rising cities, but according to a surprising number of polls it has the basic DNA to become an affordable, economically vibrant hotspot. Colin Woodard tells the story of how Des Moines fell very far and how it recovered.
After a respectable start as an early 20th-century insurance and agriculture town, Des Moines lost all semblance of downtown life in the 1970s and 80s. Eventually, city leaders sought the counsel of planner Mario Gandelsonas, whose cross-sector approach to revitalization caught on.
Woodard writes, "Gandelsonas' urban planning philosophy was simple: don't treat a city like a map that needs to be redrawn and corrected, but as a living organism with its own purpose, personality and innate characteristics. Successful interventions are ones that enhance and enable the organism's socio-economic metabolism by removing blockages or creating new centers of potential growth."
Harnessing Iowa's collaborative down-to-earth business culture, Gandelsonas and others organized partnerships between the public and private sectors to push major projects through. Today, Des Moines is still no Austin, but it has regained much of the entrepreneurship and cultural vitality it lacked for so long.
FULL STORY: How America’s Dullest City Got Cool
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.