DUBUQUE, IOWA, USA

2010
DUBUQUE, IOWA, USA
THE INTERNATIONAL AWARD FOR LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES
COMMUNITY BACKGROUND
Over 3.5 million tourists visit the Dubuque area each year (2008)
Dubuque, Iowa, is located along the Mississippi River in northeastern
Iowa. Dubuque’s population is approximately 60,000; the city covers
30 square miles. Known as “the Masterpiece on the Mississippi,”
Dubuque is distinctive because of its dramatic limestone, river bluffs
– geographic features derived from the driftless region that was
formed thousands of years ago. Many people do not expect to find
such dramatic views in Iowa.
Iowa’s oldest city, chartered in 1837, Dubuque is among the oldest
settlements west of the Mississippi River. The first permanent settler
to the area was French-Canadian fur trader Julien Dubuque. When
he arrived in 1785, the Meskwaki (Fox) Indians occupied the region
which included an abundant amount of lead mines. Julien Dubuque
developed close relationships with the Meskwaki and they informed
him of the region’s wealth of lead deposits.
Dubuque’s location on the Mississippi and its abundant land and
resources, attracted large numbers of immigrants, particularly Irish
and Germans, from overcrowded cities on the east coast. Mining
and fur-trading, gave way to brick and button making, boat building,
logging, mill working, meat packing, and other heavy industries.
Since then, the community has had a long-standing manufacturing
sector and a growing service sector. Today, Dubuque serves as a
regional center for commerce, industry, education, medical services,
culture and tourism.
Dubuque takes great pride in the slogan, “Masterpiece on the
Mississippi,” but such was not always the case for Dubuque. In the
1980s, Dubuque experienced 23% unemployment, an exodus of
residents from the community and the state, struggling downtown
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businesses, and disconnected neighborhoods. Community
leaders from the private and public sectors came together in four
community visioning efforts over the past 20 years that helped
change Dubuque. These leaders focused on grassroots efforts to
address community rebirth.
The Dubuque community takes great pride in
the quality of its educational system. Dubuque’s
public school system was ranked #7 out of 2,200
school districts nationwide! Dubuque offers two
private school systems accredited by the State of
Iowa. Dubuque boasts three private, liberal arts
colleges, a community college, a Bible college, and
a seminary.
Dubuque, with a consumer base
bolstered by colleges and tourism,
is a retail center for the area
•
Over 18,000 college students within 20mile radius
•
Forbes.com ranked Dubuque #1 Best
Smaller Metro for Projected Job Growth
•
In comparing the 281 largest metros in the
U.S., Dubuque’s job growth of 2.1% ranked
as third best in the nation
Dubuque’s Sustainability Model and Vision Statement
“Dubuque is a viable, livable, and equitable community. We embrace
economic prosperity, social/cultural vibrancy and environmental integrity
to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come.”
One of the biggest challenges was how to once
again connect citizens to the river that inspired the
settlement of their community. The riverfront that
was once an epicenter of the city was plagued by
environmental issues, undervalued property, and a
mix of heavy industrial uses adjacent to downtown.
In the late 1990s, the Dubuque County Historical
Society created the America’s River project with a
goal of raising $25 million to redevelop the historic
Ice Harbor into a museum campus capturing
the historical, environmental, educational and
recreational majesty of the Mississippi River. Soon
the $25 million America’s River project, became a
$188 million riverfront revitalization effort with city,
county, state,federal, and private stakeholders. The
area now known as the Port of Dubuque continues
to evolve as America’s River Phase II, another $200
million project is complete. Today, over $400 million
has redeveloped contaminated brownfield sites
into a mixed-use district through sensitive adaptive
reuse of historic structures and environmentallyfriendly new construction.
In 2006, the City Council identified sustainability as one of its top priorities and created
a Sustainable City Task Force in 2007 to develop a vision statement and principles that
would define our sustainability initiative through community involvement and input.
The task force gathered input from thousands of citizens and defined sustainability as
a community’s ability to meet the environmental, economic, and social equity needs of
today without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
The Sustainable Dubuque model has three pillars of sustainability: economic prosperity,
social/cultural vibrancy and environmental/ecological integrity. The vision statement is
supported by 11 key Sustainability Principles as shown below:
Dubuque is a community that values
Environmental Integrity
Healthy Air: fresh, clean air,
reduced greenhouse gas
emissions and minimized
health risks.
Economic Prosperity
Regional Economy: a
diversified regional economy
with opportunities for new
and green markets, jobs,
products and services.
Clean Water: water as
the source of life, seek to
preserve and manage it in
all forms.
Smart Energy Use: energy
conservation and expanded
use of renewable energy as
a means to save money and
Native Plants and Animals: protect the environment.
biodiversity through the
preservation, restoration
Resource Management:
and connection of nature
the benefits of reducing,
and people.
reusing and recycling
resources.
Community Design: the
built environment of the
past, present and future
which contributes to its
identity, heritage and sense
of place.
Social/Cultural Vibrancy
Green Buildings: a
productive and healthy built
environment.
Healthy Local Foods: the
benefits of wholesome
food from local producers,
distributors, farms, gardens
and hunters.
Community Knowledge:
education, empowerment
and engagement to achieve
economic prosperity,
environmental integrity and
social/cultural vibrancy.
Reasonable Mobility: safe,
reasonable and equitable
choices to access live, work
and play opportunities.
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BUILT & NATURAL LANDSCAPE
100 year old Eagle Point Park was designed by Alfred Caldwell, a student of Frank Lloyd
Wright. The park was built using native limestone by the citizens of Dubuque as part of the
Federal Civilian Conservation Corps program. This park was recognized as one of Iowa’s Top
Parks by the Iowa Chapter of AIA (2009)
Dubuque’s sustainability principles that contribute to the Built and
Natural Landscape include Community Design, Green Buildings,
Reasonable Mobility, Healthy Air, Clean Water and Native Plants &
Animals.
Dubuque has a substantial collection of architecturally significant
structures set among wooded limestone bluffs and creek valleys.
Our Comprehensive Plan directs strategic planning, funding, and
regulations for balancing environmental stewardship with smart
growth to establish a sympathetic relationship between these built
and natural landscapes. The City has a staff and volunteer citizen
commission to manage review of all City projects and private
projects involving historic properties or sites. Dubuque established
the first Environmental Stewardship Commission in Iowa and
include a position for high school youth.
Dubuque balances urban growth with ecological constraints through
our urban design guidelines. Dubuque was one of eight cities in
the United States to participate in a sustainable design assessment
by the American Institute of Architects to develop sustainable land
use and urban design recommendations that were incorporated
into our Sustainability Plan and Sustainable
Unified Development Code (UDC). Dubuque’s UDC
requires that subdivisions and site developments
incorporate sustainable design; avoid sensitive areas;
protect historic, cultural and natural resources; and
accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, and transit. UDC
landscaping standards ensure that developments are
designed and maintained with respect to land capability
and constraints, control erosion, maintain natural
amenities, and reduce
conflicts between
the natural and built
landscapes.
We protect and restore
environmentallysensitive areas as
development and
redevelopment occurs.
The Bee Branch
Creek Restoration
Project will replace an
underground storm
sewer with an open
waterway, reducing the
risk of flood damage
to 1,150 properties and
Steeples of Dubuque’s religious institutions (2008)
improving water quality.
_____________________________________
Dubuque protects and preserves our historic buildings, urban
pattern and natural landscape to ensure that the physical
character and form of our city reflects its historic setting and
that the built and natural landscapes are compatible.
_____________________________________
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The Historic Millwork District, containing 1,000,000 square feet of
unutilized space and Dubuque’s manufacturing history, will be revitalized
into an urban mixed-use development. Over $200 million in public
and private investment will create workforce housing connected by
complete streets with access to downtown employment and recreation
opportunities, while creating a national model for the marriage of historic
preservation and energy-efficient technology.
The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (NMRMA) is
the only museum and
aquarium in the U.S.
dedicated to educating
people on the Mississippi
River and the rivers
of the world, is a
Smithsonian affiliate,
and the only inland
waterway to receive
a Coastal America
designation.
Visitors explore the freshwater tanks and giant catfish at
NMRMA (2010)
The Mines of Spain Recreation Area and E.B. Lyons Interpretive and
Nature Center are located on 1380 acres of beautiful wooded and prairie
land just south of Dubuque, IA. The earliest known inhabitants of the
Mines of Spain State Recreation Area during historical times were the
Meskwaki, who lived along the Catfish Creek. There is also evidence
of prehistoric Native American cultures, some dating back as much as
8,000 years. Mounds, village sites, rock shelters, trading post sites, and
campsites dot the landscape. The area has been designated as a National
Historic Landmark, and includes an Interpretive Trail, a 15 acre wetland,
creeks, forest, prairies, cropland, meadows and limestone bluffs. Native
animals found in this area include song birds, bobcat, red-shouldered
hawk, flying squirrel, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and various
butterflies. The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center is completing a $1.5 million
expansion, supported by citizen donations.
The Grand River Center rests on Dubuque’s 6.5 miles of riverfront along
the Mississippi River (2008)
Dubuque has:
•
659 structures in five local historic districts
•
Eight National Register Historic Districts and
45 structures listed on the National Register of
Historic Places
•
Nine conservation districts, encompassing 850
structures and over 100 square blocks
•
Surveyed and evaluated the significance of 4,728
structures in the historic and conservation districts.
•
Forty-nine parks totaling 901 acres
•
Open space totaling 2870 acres
The Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Garden is the only one in the U.S.
staffed entirely by volunteers. Over 250 dedicated individuals donate
over 14,000 hours per year to maintain the trees, plants and shrubs, and
seed-gifts which are all labeled throughout the garden. In 2006 we hosted
guests come from 47 of the 50 states and 10 foreign countries.
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ARTS & CULTURE HERITAGE
Dubuque Symphony Orchestra (2009)
Dubuque’s sustainability principles that contribute to Arts and
Cultural Heritage are Community Design, Green Buildings,
Community Knowledge and Reasonable Mobility.
Dubuque is a vibrant cultural community steeped in historical charm,
a place where cultures crossroad and arts and entertainment is the
official language. Our museums, symphony, theatre groups, schools
and colleges, local artists and artisans, and galleries have brought a
richness and vitality to Dubuque that some find surprising given the
size of our community and its industrial roots. Our written history
begins with Dubuque’s namesake, French-Canadian Julien Dubuque,
and his friendship with the Meskwaki Indians in the late 1700s. The
Old Jail Museum presents the natural and cultural history of Dubuque
throughout the ages. Recent history exhibits highlighting the cultural
diversity of Dubuque include Luxembourg – USA: A Migration Story, and
From Distant Places to Dubuque’s Shores: 175 Years of Jewish Presence
in the Tri-State Region.
In 2005, Downtown Dubuque received recognition as the state of Iowa’s
first cultural and entertainment district. The arts are positioned as a
critical element in revitalizing the Downtown and the Historic Millwork
District.
Community gathers at Irish Hooley (2009)
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The City’s commitment to historic preservation began in the mid 1970s
as the community reacted to the wholesale clearance of downtown
blocks through urban renewal programs. Dubuque now has a strong
historic preservation ethic, a historic preservation ordinance, a
conservation district ordinance, and a variety of preservation incentives
supported by an active Historic Preservation Commission. Dubuque
has been continually in the forefront of historic preservation in Iowa.
The annual Architecture Days week-long celebration engages adults
and children alike in appreciating the community’s historic architecture.
A $6.9 million renovation of the historic Carnegie-Stout Library is
nearing completion. It will be the first library in the country with LEED
certification that is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 2008 Historic Millwork District plan brings integrated
strategies that include design guidelines, historic preservation,
community gardens, central gathering spaces, arts venues and
artistic streetscapes.
The Multicultural Family Center was established in 2004 by the City
and Dubuque Community School District. It is staffed primarily by
volunteers, serves thousands of families and individuals, and offers
literacy, holiday, arts, teen, and senior programming.
From May 1 to November 1, there are over 500 cultural events
ranging from festivals, music events, arts shows, haiku readings,
poetry slam, community theater, and symphonic productions for
residents of all ages. The year kicks off in January with Ice Fest
which celebrates Native American winter games. In the bloom
of spring, the oldest farmers market in Iowa opens its doors in
downtown Dubuque. In May a weekend of arts comes alive in
historic downtown. In July, Art on the River, the City’s public art
competition holds its opening exhibit at the Port of Dubuque. Events
heat up as summer brings outdoor concerts, America’s River festival,
Dragonboat festival, Irish Hooley, Herbfest, Oktoberfest, four Jazz
Festivals, Independence
Day fireworks, food
competitions, and music in
the garden every Sunday
night at our Arboretum.
No matter what the reason
or the season, Dubuquers
celebrate their community
and their heritage though
these events and more.
•
Art/cultural organizations in Dubuque have an
economic impact of $22 million locally
•
Since 2005, the City of Dubuque has awarded over
$1.5 million to area arts and cultural organizations
for operation funds and special projects
•
Local arts programming reaches over 640,000
people annually
•
Nearly 1,500 people use the Carnegie-Stout Public
Library each day
_______________________________
The City’s Free Way to Fun City program provides free
transportation for students attending City or school district
art and recreation programs, as well rides to the library,
public pools, and the Multicultural Family Center
_______________________________
Teams competing in the annual
Dragonboat races (2009)
The Multicultural Family Center celebrated a new
building in 2009
Two-Headed Trojan Ducky, the 2009
Art on the River People’s Choice Winner
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ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICES
Students assist Dubuque County Soil and Water Conservation staff in
watershed testing (2010)
Dubuque’s sustainability principles that contribute to Environmental
Best Practices are Smart Energy Use, Resource Management,
Regional Economy, Community Knowledge, Healthy Air, Clean
Water and Native Plants & Animals.
Dubuque took a new path in 1991 in becoming the first large city in
Iowa to implement curbside recycling. The City’s “The more you
waste, the more you pay” program immediately reduced landfilling
by 30% and increased recycling by 40%. Since then, two thirds of
the materials that could be recycled are captured.
Building on this success, the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid
Waste Agency (DMASWA) progressively diverted 2% of current
landfilling tonnage (2,000 tons per year) to identified diversion
channels for beneficial use for each of the next 8 years. The goal is a
50% diversion away from landfilling by 2019. DMASWA has applied
to expand our compost food residual feedstocks from businesses.
Composting is one of the most effective ways of reducing our
impact on the environment.
Recycling is a permit requirement for festival events. Our festivals
are reducing vendor and attendee trash by over 50%.
The City is converting its Water Pollution Control Plant to anaerobic
digestion. When completed, to our knowledge this project will
be the first public treatment plant in the U.S. to use waste water
effluent for geothermal heating and cooling. Energy consumption at
the plant will be reduced by 25%. The City is installing microturbines
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to generate 400 kw of alternative energy of the 600 kw used to
power the plant daily.
The City’s commitment to sustainability and the protection of the
environment has led to an unprecedented partnership between
Dubuque and IBM to make our community the first Smarter City in
North America.
The Bee Branch Creek Restoration Project will replace an
underground storm sewer with an open waterway, reducing the risk
of flood damage to 1,150 properties and improving water quality.
The landscaped creek will include trails, wetland restoration, an
amphitheater and landscaping using native plants and materials.
_______________________________
“IBM selected Dubuque as a smarter city pilot because of
its leadership in sustainability, its grass-roots embrace of
sustainability, a forward looking City team that was eager to
take sustainable city management to a whole new level and a
public private partnership that makes it possible to engage across
multiple city government silos which makes it a perfect living
laboratory.”
Milind Naphade,
Manager, Services for a Smarter Planet, IBM
_______________________________
__
oss
•
In 2006, Dubuque was one of 50 cities in the U.S.
and the only city in Iowa to implement a residential
curbside food scrap collection
•
Over 150,000 tons of landfilled materials and $5.8
million in landfill fees have been avoided over the
last five years
•
Nearly 80% diversion rate was achieved on
the recent $50 million renovation of a former
downtown department store
•
By 2014 the City will have reduced its emissions by
at least 40%
The Garden Organic show, in its fifth year, is a public access TV show
of middle school students
learning to grow their own
vegetables and mentored
by local businesses and
City staff in exploring the
healthy local food system.
The Green Alley Pilot
Project was completed
Garden Organic participants (2009)
in October 2009. It is estimated that
100% of the ten year storm recurrence
interval is intercepted by the alleys. The alleys have the ability to
infiltrate water in excess of six inches per hour.
In 2009, DMASWA implemented a landfill gas collection and
control system (GCCS) for the Dubuque Metropolitan Sanitary
Landfill (DMSL), which will recover 500 to 600 scfm of landfill gas,
containing 50% Methane, from the currently permitted landfill. This
process will immediately reduce greenhouse gas by approximately
50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. After
the GCCS is operational, DMASWA plans to implement an energy
generation project. The total energy content of the recovered
landfill gas is expected to be 130,000 to 160,000 mmBTU per year.
The DMASWA and the Dubuque Community School District have
developed Green Vision School Certification program. Eleven
schools have received the award since the beginning of the program
in 2005. The award recognizes student and staff efforts to reduce
the amount of waste created in their schools, as well as energy
saving practices implemented.
Nine local partners collaborated to sell rain barrels, decorated by local artists
at Farmers’ Market. Rain barrels catch rain water to use for watering lawns,
plants, and gardens. (2010)
The Petal Project is a regional green business certification program.
It provides a framework for businesses that are interested in saving
money and resources while enhancing their brand and customer
loyalty through sustainability initiatives. The Petal Project has
five categories: waste reduction, energy conservation, pollution
prevention, staff education, and water conservation.
__
At the NMRMA, visitors can spy on the river otters, diving ducks, frogs,
snakes and fish. The NMRMA also works with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the
Association of Zoo and Aquariums to reintroduce endangered species like the
Higgins Eye Mussels and the Wyoming Toad into the wild. The museum’s work
with the Wyoming Toad has increased the number of specimens from seven
known in the world, to now releasing an average of 3,000 per year. (2008)
9
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
AND EMPOWERMENT
The Dubuque Rescue Mission community garden provides healthy local foods and
job training opportunities for Dubuque’s homeless population (2010)
Dubuque’s sustainability principle that contributes to community
participation and empowerment is Community Knowledge.
Beginning in the 1990s, the citizens actively participated in a
community visioning process. Over 5,000 area citizens participated
in Vision 2000. The product, a shared vision statement for the tristate area, served as a guide to community decision making and
long-range planning.
The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan is Dubuque’s principal tool to
guide its future development, public policies and decision making. It
was adopted in 1994 -1995, and updated in 2000 - 2002 and 2006 2007. In each case, the City received input from hundreds of people
at public meetings and open houses.
In 2004, Dubuque completed a downtown visioning process which
involved over 2,000 individuals.
In 2005, the citizens of Dubuque began to ask “What’s next?” and
the community responded with Envision 2010 -- 10 community
projects by 2010. Envision 2010 generated over 2,000 ideas through
focus groups and town meetings attended by nearly 12,000 people.
Currently five of the ten final projects are complete and there are
over 150 active volunteers involved to help make the others a reality.
Our most recent collaboration involves Sustainable Dubuque and
Dubuque 2.0. Sustainable Dubuque is community engagement
processed initiated by the City of Dubuque and involving a
45-member citizen task force. The task force designed a process
wherein thousands of citizens participated through surveys,
presentations and other means to present to the Dubuque City
Council a three-part model of Sustainability, a vision statement and
11 sustainability principles, which they adopted.
1979
1982
1991-92
1993
Historic Preservation
ordinance adopted
Historic Preservation
Commission
established
Unemployment =
23%
Vision 2000
Environmental Stewardship
Advisory Commission
established
1990s
1980s
TIMELINE OF DUBUQUE’S COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT
change | opportunity | partnerships
community | empowerment
Arts Task Force
formed
A
Riv
2000
Seized Opportunity
Need for Change
10
2002
1977
Developed Partne
1991
1994-95
1995
Curbside recycling
launched
Comprehensive
Plan
America’s River
Vision launched
2002
Port of Dubuque
Master Plan
Art
Adv
Dubuque 2.0 is a community-led initiative that engages businesses,
schools, neighborhoods, and non-profits to increase long-lasting
sustainability efforts, and opportunities to create community
wide carbon-reducing lifestyle changes and the motivations to
do so. It is a partnership between the Community Foundation of
Greater Dubuque, which represents over 400 non-profits, and the
Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 1,400
businesses; its steering committee features representatives of 22
organizations.
•
The City has 28 boards and commissions with over
175 volunteers
•
Over 571 Dubuque area non-profit organizations
represent the following areas: Education; Arts,
Culture and Recreation; Civil and Community
Development; Emergency Services; and Animal
Welfare
Every Child | Every Promise is a community initiative committed
to measuring, defining, and impacting the presence of the Five
Promises in the lives of Dubuque’s children.
__________________________
Project HOPE (Helping Our People Excel) is a City employment
initiative designed to serve as a catalyst within the community
helping service providers, education/training providers, employers
and job seekers build bridges to establish rewarding, long-term
employment opportunities.
“You know, with its ‘Smart City’ partnership with IBM,
Dubuque has become a model for other cities because
people work together to solve problems. That’s what this
whole livable communities initiative is.”
Ray LaHood,
U.S. Secretary of Transportation
__________________________
2
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2010
Force
d
America’s
River Project
opens
Downtown
Master Plan
developed
Envision 2010
Sustainability
Initiative
Every Child |
Every Promise
Project
HOPE
Tri-State
Trail Vision
2000
Developed Partnerships
ue
2004
2000s
Arts & Cultural Affairs
Advisory Commission
established
2010
2005
Citizen Empowerment
Engaged Community
2006
Unemployment rate
= 3.7%
2006
Curbside food scrap
collection launched
2008
Historic Millwork
District Master
Plan
2009
Smarter Sustainable
Dubuque
2010
Dubuque 2.0
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HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
community partners to provide a comprehensive diabetic program,
tobacco cessation programming, foot and wound care, case
management, pharmacy, and referrals to specialists, in addition to
primary medical and dental care. Since its inception, the Center has
provided services to over 13,726 patients who would have otherwise
gone without care.
Producers display healthy local foods at Iowa’s Oldest Farmers’ Market (2008)
Dubuque’s sustainability principles that contribute to healthy
lifestyle include Healthy Local Foods, Reasonable Mobility, Healthy
Air, Clean Water and Native Plants & Animals.
Dubuque is creating a healthy lifestyle culture through many
community-based initiatives that are improving both individual
health and opportunities for healthy lifestyles.
Live Healthy Dubuque 100 Day Challenge is a weight loss and
physical activity program designed to promote healthier lifestyles.
The program averages of 1000 participants and 158
teams annually. In 2010, the teams collectively lost
6,476 pounds and logged almost 2.5 million activity/
physical fitness minutes.
Crescent Community Health Center was the first
Envision 2010 project, opening in October 2006.
Crescent assures that everyone has access to
affordable health care. Crescent relies heavily on
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Reinventing the Family Meal
A consortium of 13 community partners are reviving the family
meal while encouraging healthy eating. Participants learn to cook
and eat more economically at home, promote healthy eating for
their children, and realize the benefits of eating healthier foods.
The family also experiences the relationship-building benefits of
regularly shared meals.
The Dubuque Farmer’s Market – established in 1845, has long
been a source for locally grown fresh produce. Each week features
local artist who provides entertainment for the nearly 2,000 weekly
visitors who come to market to buy from one of nearly 100 vendors.
Market activity is coordinated with four other markets, including a
winter market, through the Dubuque Eats Well steering committee.
The CCHC has served over 13,724 patients
since its inception in 2006.
The Dubuque Childhood Lead
Poisoning Prevention Program
(CLPPP) launched in 1994 through a
joint effort of the City’s Health Services
and the Housing and Community
Development Departments. Dubuque
has a significant amount of pre-1950
housing with data showing that
38.9% of its housing stock dates from before 1950 compared to a
national average of 22.3%. The Dubuque CLPPP focuses primarily
on the target area with the highest proportion of older homes,
low and moderate income families and children. As a result, rates
of childhood lead poisoning in Dubuque have decreased from
over 14% of children tested in 1994 to 3.6% of the children tested
currently.
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) is a national effort to improve
childhood health by increasing walking and bicycling to school
through engineering, education, enforcement encouragement,
and evaluation. Local partners have collaborated with schools
to develop a SRTS plan for every school in Dubuque. Each SRTS
plan identifies the barriers to walking to school, and presents a list
of strategies aimed at removing these barriers.
Dubuque has 45 miles of trails. The City has partnered with the Tri-State Trails
Vision to create and implement an integrated hike/bike trail plan. The 13-mile
riverfront system weaves through City streets, with side routes to the Americas
River Project, to City parks, and the Mississippi River. The trail system extends
south to the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area. (2009)
A walking school bus delivers children safely home without the use of
a vehicle (2010)
•
13,724 patients have received healthcare from
Crescent Community Health Center
•
Dubuque has the oldest Farmers Market in Iowa
with over 100+ vendors selling healthy local food
every week
•
Dubuque has decreased its rate of childhood lead
poisoning from 14% to nearly 3%
Heron Pond wetland restoration and
bike trail (2009)
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
Community members participate in Earth Day dialog (2009)
Dubuque’s sustainability principles that contribute to Strategic
Planning are Resource Management and Community Knowledge.
The City Council’s annual goal setting process, guided by
community input, defines our goals:
Five-Year Goals
•
•
•
•
•
Diverse, strong Dubuque economy
Sustainable city
Planned and managed growth
Partnering for a better Dubuque
Improved connectivity - transportation and
telecommunications
The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan establishes goals and objectives
for the community’s Physical, Economic, and Social Environments.
It is our principal tool to guide future development, public policies
and decision making. Periodic updates are based on input from the
community.
Dubuque has maintained and strengthened its long-term
commitment to strategic planning, funding and partnerships
for downtown, riverfront, and neighborhood revitalization as an
award-winning Main Street Community. Thousands of citizens were
involved in developing the 2002 Port of Dubuque Master Plan and
the 2004 Downtown Master Plan as implementation strategies for
the Comprehensive Plan.
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The Dubuque Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (DMATS)
strategically coordinates a variety of programs on a regional
basis, including Housing, Economic Development, Public Works,
Engineering, Transit, and Planning, to develop projects addressing
Complete Streets, Safety, Security, Clean Air and Transit to attain
livable, sustainable communities. The DMATS Long Range
Transportation Plan links directly to the Dubuque Comprehensive
Plan’s future land use goals, objectives, and map.
The region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
(CEDS) is developed by ECIA, the regional council of governments.
The CEDS is utilized in the region to monitor and evaluate long
term economic goals and strategies and to coordinate economic
development activities.
The American Institute of Architects selected Dubuque in 2007 for
the Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program, which
brought design professionals from across the country to work
with local stakeholders to help shape the community’s strategy
for sustainability. The SDAT recommendations were incorporated
into the Sustainable Dubuque Plan and the Sustainable Unified
Development Code.
Smarter Sustainable Dubuque
(SSD) In 2009 IBM and the City
of Dubuque announced a unique
public/private partnership
between the City of Dubuque and IBM Research, making Dubuque
the first “smarter” sustainable city in North America. SSD will
develop new “smarter” technologies and implementation strategies
to create a replicable, international model of sustainability for
communities of 200,000 and under, where over 40% of the
U.S. population resides. The model will integrate community
engagement and education, more energy-efficient ways of
operating municipal services and buildings, decreased carbon
emissions, new job creation, increased financial savings, and a
higher quality of life for the entire community.
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SSD will provide the information and tools residents need to
make smarter choices about resource consumption. The initiative
is engaging Dubuque residents and businesses who, through
advanced technology, will be able to voluntarily better manage their
use of resources like water, electricity, oil, natural gas, vehicle miles
traveled and health/wellness.
SSD will:
•
Help eliminate waste in our daily use
•
Help identify efficiencies in our consumption
•
Help us achieve optimization by changing our
habits
What we are doing right
What we are doing to maintain our Livable Community
Corridor Safety
Future Growth
Sustainability
Safety Groups
Transportation
Security
Land Use
Consumer Needs
Job locations
ITS
Transportation
Workforce
Development
Transit
Training
Job Locations
Housing Locations
Sustainability
Workforce
Transportation
Air & Water Quality
Economic
Development
Health
Housing
Transit
Accommodations
Safety
Job Location
Mode of
Transportation
Consumer Needs
Regionalism
Housing
Authority
School System
Security
Connectivity
15
Mississippi
DUBUQUE, IOWA
MASTERPIECE ON THE
“Dubuque presents lessons for preservation and protection
of urban waters.”
Lisa Jackson
Administrator, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
“These innovation hotbeds are not confined to any one part of
the country. They’re thriving in places like Rochester, New York,
and Dubuque, Iowa, and the Commerce Department is helping to
create more.”
Gary Locke
U.S. Secretary of Commerce
“Dubuque sets the gold standard for a community taking charge
of its economic destiny by revitalizing its downtown historic
district in order to attract new businesses and dramatically
increase tourism.”
Tom Harkin
U.S. Senator
“33 years in business...I’ve never felt, never seen the
professionalism, the dedication to public and private partnership,
that I’ve seen here in Dubuque...this will be a long-standing
relationship, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
Michael Daniels
Sr. Vice President, Global Technology Services,
IBM Global Services
“Deconstruction is the best recycling. Everything is on the table
here to make Dubuque the #1 deconstruction city in the United
States. I’ve never seen so many people in the private sector as
interested and thinking about how to reuse.”
Neil Seldman
President, Institute for Local Self Reliance
“Historic preservation is at the very core of Dubuque’s sustainable
redevelopment effort; the city recognizes the need to reuse
existing buildings in their efforts to be more sustainable, and is
determined to improve energy efficiency, and reduce water usage
in these buildings as well.”
Patrice Frey
Deputy Director, Office of Sustainability
National Trust for Historic Preservation