Iowa’s rural leaders are taking a unique, focused approach to addressing challenges and building stronger, more resilient communities that will support businesses, education, and quality of life for their residents.
“There has been a quiet but powerful transformation happening in rural Iowa as communities become more strategic, innovative and collaborative,” said Danielle Propst, AIPC, Planner, ISG.
ISG, a multi-disciplinary architecture, engineering, environmental, and planning firm with offices in seven states, is an investor in America’s Cultivation Corridor and works with communities across the country to develop tailored and actionable community plans.
Rural communities face familiar hurdles: population retention challenges, housing shortages, workforce gaps, aging infrastructure, and strained amenities. Propst noted that these challenges are often made harder by the lack of coordination around solving them.
Well-executed community planning is focused on breaking down silos to bring people together under shared goals. Key planning elements often include identifying where investments are needed most, creating land-use strategies that support growth and housing, building buy-in for bond referendums and funding efforts, securing grants by showing readiness and vision, and engaging residents to ensure equity and inclusion in future growth. Public-private partnerships are becoming more common because these relationships enable data-driven decision-making that helps towns understand issues, needs and opportunities.
“A successful plan is more than a document; it’s a living framework that guides a community toward shared goals,” said Propst. “Key to that success is deep, consistent engagement – not just during one meeting or survey, but throughout the process.”
Planning in action
The community of Le Mars, Iowa, launched the Vision 2045 planning process in 2022 with a focus on economic growth centered on community well-being for the small city of 10,600 residents in northwest Iowa. The Vision 2045 plan’s goals for the next two decades include growing the population to 20,000 residents, expanding to 8,5000 housing units, increasing retail sales per capita, and enhancing the community’s role as a regional destination.
The community planning process began with bringing community leaders directly to the table. The ISG team built a steering community that included the mayor. city staff, school administrators, business owners, and nonprofit leaders - reflecting the fabric of the community.
“These were not symbolic participants, they were co-creators. We met regularly, challenged assumptions, reviewed drafts to help shape the vision, and became champions to help the plan gain traction across the city,” said Propst. “Our approach was grounded in trust and transparency. By meeting community leaders where they are and giving them a real voice, ISG helped ensure the planning process was not just inclusive, it was driven by those who know the community best.”
The plan was unveiled at the Plymouth County Fair in July 2023, reinforcing its community ownership and reach. Milestones to date include the development of a nonprofit daycare center with capacity for more than 200 children, passage of a nearly $50 million elementary school bond, and completion of a Parks and Recreation Master Plan with a capital campaign underway. Housing and commercial developments are being designed to match projected growth.
These activities and outcomes can be connected back to the Vision 2045 plan, which can be viewed here.
“Le Mars is known as the Ice Cream Capital of the World, but its uniqueness goes far deeper. It is a community of bold doers – proud of its roots, yet unafraid of change,” said Propst. “What sets Le Mars apart is its willingness to collaborate. Leaders in education, tourism, business, and local government worked together with a mindset that helped the planning process gain traction and position the community for meaningful, sustained impact.”
Investing in quality of life
Across the state, communities are investing well beyond infrastructure by identifying unique ways to improve quality of life and attract visitors.
“Communities are also investing in their unique identities, whether through art, history, or industry, and using those identities to build civic pride and economic resilience,” said Propst. “We have seen major progress in areas such as childcare development, workforce housing, downtown revitalization, and placemaking. These are no longer just nice to have, they are essential for attracting residents and workers, with communities treating them as such.”
A survey commissioned by America’s Cultivation Corridor highlighted the importances of quality of life initiatives for those in agriculture and related industries. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Iowans who responded to the survey rated their quality of life as good or excellent and 61% perceive it to be better than the rest of the U.S. Additionally, about half of Iowa respondents said their quality of life is improving and 74% would recommend Iowa as a place to live.
Published June 2025