9 7 10 International Award for Livable CommunitiesTHE
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DUBUQUE IOWA USA
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Over 3,5 ndlion tourfsts w s t the Dubuque area each year (too )
Dubuque, Iowa, is located along the Mississippi River in northeastern
Iowa. Dubuque's population is approximately 6o,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 reg ion 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 furtrader Ju lien 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 Mes kwa ki and they informed
him of the regions wealth of lead deposits.
Dubuque's location on the Mississippi and its abundant land and
resources, attracted large numbers of immigrants, particularly Irish
and Germ ans, 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 a s a
regional center for commerce, industry, education, medical services,
culture and tourism.
Dubuque to kes great pride in the slogan, " Masterpi ece on the
Mississippi/ but such was not a lwa s the case for Dubuque. In the
ig8os, Dubuque experienced 23% unemployment, an exodus of
residents from the community and the state, struggling downtown
COMMUNITY BACKGROUND
businesses, and disconnected neig h borhood s. Community
leaders from the private and public sectors came together in four
community visioning efforts overthe past 20 years that helped
change D u buque. Th ese 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 c o l l e g e , and
a seminary.
Dubuque, with a consumer base
bolstered by colleges and tourism,
is a retail center for the area
Over 18" cm col Fege students with .n
mile radius
• Forbes.com ranked Dubuque ##1 Best
Sma ler Metro for Projected Job Growth •
• I n comparing the 281 largest metros in the
U.S., Dubuque's job growth of 2.1% ranked
as third best in the nation
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One of the biggest challenges was how to once
again connect citizens to the river that inspired the
settlement of their commun it .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 iggos, the Dubuque County Historical
Society created the America's River project with a
goal of raising s25 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 s2 million America's River project, became a
si88 million riverFront revitalization effort with cite
county, state,federaI, and private stakeholders. The
area now known as the Port of Dubuque continues
to evolve as America's River Phase II, another 200
mi llion project is complete. Today, overs400 million
has redeveloped contaminated brownfie Id sites
into a mixed -use district through sensitive adaptive
reuse of historic structures and environmenta Ily-
friendly new construction.
Dubuque's Sustainability Model and Vision Statement
"Dubuque is a viable, livable, and equitable community We embrace
economic prosperity, social/cultural vibrancy and environrrrental integrity
to create a sustainable legacy for generations to come.'"
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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 susta ina bility 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 sustainabili r: economic prosperity,
social cultural vibrancy and environmental /ecological in tegri r. The vision statement is
supported by ii key Sustainability Principles as shown below:
Dubuque is a community that values
Environmentai Integrity Economic Prosperity . i
Social/CulturalVibrancy
Health Air: fresh, clean air,
reduced greenhouse gas
emissions and minimized
health risks.
Clean water: water as
the source of life, seek to
preserve and manage it in
all forms.
Native Plants and Animals:
biodiversity through the
preservation, ion, restoration
and connection of nature
and people.
Regional Economy: a
diversified regional economy
with opportunities for new
and green markets, jobs,
products and services.
Smart Energy Use: energy
conservation and expanded
use of renewable energy as
a means to save money and
protect the environment.
Resource Management:
the benefits of reducing,
reusing and recycling
resources.
Community Design: the
built environment of the
past, present and future
which contri butes to its
identity, heritage and sense
of place.
Green Buildings: a
productive and healthy built
environment.
Healthy Local Foods: the
benefits of wholesome
food from loca I producers,
distributors, farms, gardens
and hunters.
Reasonable Mobility: safe
reasonable and equitable
choices to access live work
and play opportunities.
Community Knowledge:
education, empowerment
and engagement to achieve
economic prosperity,
environmental integrity and
social /cultural vibrancy.
loo year old Eagle Point Park was designed by Alfred Caldvvell, a student of Frank Lloyd
Wright. The park was built using native limestone by the citizens of Dubuque as port of the
Federal Civilia r Conservation Corps program, This park was recognized us one of Iowa's Top
Parks by the lowathap ter ofA IA (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. --------- it
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Dubuque has a substantial collection of architecturally significant
structures set among wooded limestone bluffs and creek valleys.
OurComprehensive 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 Stewardsh ip 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 Susta ina bility 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
BUILT & NATURAL LANDSCAPE
amenities, and reduce
conflicts between
the natural and built
landscapes.
We protect and restore
environmenta Ily-
sensitive area 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 1130 properties and
improving water quality.
Steeples of Dubuque's religious institutions (2008)
Dubuque protects and preserves our historic buildings, urban
pattern and natural landscape to ensure that the physical
character and form °four city reflects its historic setting and
that the built and natural landscapes are compatible.
The Historic Millwork District, containing 1,000,000 square feet of
unutilized space and Dubuque's manufacturing history, will be revitalized
into an urban nixed -use development. Over $200 mil lion in public
and private investment w i l l create workforce housing connected by
complete streets with access to downtown employment and recreation
opportunities, while creating a national model forthe marriage of historic
preservation ion 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
Smithsonian affiliate,
and the only inland
waterway to receive
a Coastal America
designation.
Visitors explore the freshwater tanks and gc r scat sh at
NMRMA polo)
The Mines of Spain Recreation Area and E.B. Lyons Interpretive and
Nature Center are located on 1380 acres of beautiful wooded and prairie
I and just south of Dubuque, I A. The earliest known inhabitants of the
Mines of Spa in State Recreation Area during historical time were the
Mes kwa ki, who lived along the Catfish Cree k. Th ere 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 Ian dsca pe. The area has been designated as a National
Historic Landmark, and includes an InterpretiveTrai 1, 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
butterFl ies. The E.B. Lyons Interpretive Center is completing a $1.5 million
expansion, supported by citizen donations.
The Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Garden is the only one in the U.S.
staffed entirely by volunteers. Over 2so dedicated individuals donate
over 14,000 hours peryearto 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 so states and io foreign countries.
The Grand River Center rests eri uubuque's 6. 5 miles of rive mart along
the Mississippi River (2008)
Dubua has:
sq structures in five Iona I historic districts
Eight National Register Historic Districts and
x structures listed on the National Register of
Historic Places
• Nine conservation districts, encompassing 850
structures and over loo square blocks
i Surveyed and evaluated the si gn ificance of 4, 728
structures in the historic and conservation districts.
▪ Forty -nine parks totaling 9oi acres
• Open space totaling 2870 acres
I Alt Iff
ARTS &CULTURE HERITAGE
I 6
Dubuque's sustainability principles that corfitri Bute to Arts and
Cultural Heritage are Community Design, Green Buildings,
Community Knowledge and Reasonable Mobility.
. • . A
Commuroty gathers at lash FJoo /ear (2009)
Dubuque Sympho ny Orchestra (o o9)
Dubuque is a vibrant cultural community steeped in historical ch arm,
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 ruts. Our written history
begins with Dubuque's namesake, French - Canadian Julien Dubuque,
and his friendsh ip with the Meskwa ki Indians in the late 17oo .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: 175Years of Jewish Presence
in theTri -State Region.
In 2QO5 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.
The City's commitment to historic preservation began in the mid 1970
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 Da sweek -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 w i l l be the first library i n the country with LEED
certification that is also on the National Register of Historic daces.
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 f a m i l i e s and individuals, and offers
literacy, holiday, arts, teen, and senior programming.
From May ito November; there are over soo cultural events
ranging from festivals, music events, arts shows, haiku readings,
poetry slam, community theater, and symphonic productions for
residents of all a ges. 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 eh bit at the Port of Dubuque. Events
heat up as summer brings outdoor concerts, America's River festiva I,
Dragonboat festival, Irish Hoole , Herbfest, 0 ktoberfest, four Jazz
Festivals, Independence
Day fireworks, food
competitions, and music in
the garden every Sunday
night at our Arboretum.
No matter what the reason
orthe season, Dubuquers
celebrate their community
and their heritage though
these events and more.
• Art /cultural organizations in Dubuque have an
economic impact of $22 rn ill ion locally
• Since Zoos, 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 64o,000
people annually
• Nearly 1,5OO people use the Carnegie-Stout Public
Li bra r 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 Fam ily Center
Teams competing in the annual
Drc gonboot races (too )
The Multicultural Family Center celebrated c new
building in 2 00
Two - Headed Trojan Ducky, the 2009
Art on the River People's Ciro rc e Winner
7
Students ents assist Dubuque County Soil and Water Conservadonstaff i
watershed testing (ato)
Dubuque's susta ina bility 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.
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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 la ndfi I I ing
by o% and increased recycling by 4o%. Since then, two thirds of
the materials that could be recycled are captured.
Building on this success, the Dubuque Metropolitan Area Solid
Waste Agency (D I W) progressively diverted 2% of current
landfill ing tonnage (2,000 tons peryear) to identified diversion
channels for beneficial use for each of the next 8 years. The goal is a
s o l o diversion away from la ndfi I I ing by 2019. DMASWA ha s a ppl ied
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 so.
The City is converting its Water Pollution Control Plant to anaerobic
digestion. When completed, to our knowledge this project w i l l
be the first public treatment plant in the U.S. to use wastewater
effluent for geothermal heating and cooling. Energy consumption at
the plant w i l l be reduced by 25%. The City is i nsta I I ing m icraturb ines
ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICES
to generate 4QQ kw of alternative energy of the boo kw used to
powerthe 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 passible to engage across
multiple city government silos which makes it a perfect living
laboratory"
Milind Naphade,
Manager, Services for a Smarter Planet, IBM
i a In 2006, Dubuque was one of 5 cities in the U.S.
and t he only city in Iowa to implement a residential
curbside food scrap collection
i Over 150,000 tons of Iandfil led materials and $5.8
million in landfill fees have been avoided overthe
last five year
4 Nearly 80 diversion rate was achieved on
the recent $50 million renovation of a former
downtown department store
4 By 2oi4 t he City w i l l have reduced its emissions by
at least 40%
In 2009, DMASWA implemented a landfill gas collection and
control system (CC) for the Dubuque Metropolitan Sanitary
Landfill (D M L) which will recover 500 to 600 scfm of landfill gas,
containing 5Q Methane„ from the currently permitted landfill. This
process w i l l immediately reduce greenhouse gas by approximately
50,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent peryear. After
the GCCS is operationaI DM WA 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 peryear.
The DMASWA and the Dubuque Commun ity School District have
developed Green if ision School Certification program. Eleven
schools have received the award since the beg inning of the program
in 2005. The award recognizes student and staff efforts to reduce
the amount of waste created in their schools, a s we l l as energy
saving practices implemented.
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 susta ina bi lity initiatives. The Petal Project has
five categories: waste reduction, energy conservation, pollution
prevention, staff education, and water conservation.
The Garden Organic show, in its fifth year, is a pubic access W show
of middle school students
learning to growtheir own
vegetables and mentored
by local businesses and
City staff in exploring the
healthy local food system.
Ickoi 3 tt
the rga i
The Green Alley Pilot
Project was completed
in October 2009. It is estimated that
ioo of the ten year storm recurrence
interva I is intercepted by the a I legs. The al legs have the a bi l ity to
infiltrate water in excess of six inches per hour.
Garden Organic participants (200
Nine local partners collaborated to sell rain barrels, decorated by local artists
at Farmers' Market. Rawr7 barrels catch ram water to use for watering lawns,
plants, and gardens. polo)
At the NMR1v1A, visitors can spy on the over otters diving duc ks, frogs
snakes and fish. The NMRIVIA also works with U... Fish and Wildlife and the
Association' of oo and Aquarnums to reintroduce endangered species like the
Higgins Eye Mussels and the Wyoming Toad into the wild. The museum's work
with the Wyoming Toad hos fncreosed the number of sp ecfm ens from seven
known rrr the wore to now releasing an average of { o00 peryear. (2008)
9
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The Dubuque Rescue Mission community garden provides healthy local foods and
job trainin9 opportunities for Dubuque's homeless population polo)
Dubuque's sustainabiliw principle that contributes to community
participation and empowerment is Community Knowledge.
Beginning in the 199os, the citizens actively participated in a
community visioning process. Over 5000 area citizens participated
inVision 2000. The product, a shared vision statement forthe tri-
state 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.
H ig#oric Presen'ation
ordinance ad opted
Historic Preservation
Commission
established
TIMELINE OF DUBUQUE'S COMMUNITY
PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT
change 1 opportunity 1 partnerships
community 1 empowerment
Unemployment =
23%
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
AND EMPOWERMENT
I n 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 -- io 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 t here are
over i o 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 Susta ina bi lit y, a vision statement and
11 sustainability principles, which they adopted.
Environmental Stewardship
Advisory Commission
Vt established
A mef - s River
Vision launched
Arts Task Force
formed
Port of oubuqu
Master Plan
America's
River Project
opens
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 Loo non- profits, and the
Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents over1,too
businesses; its steering committee features representatives of 22
organizations.
Every Child 1 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.
Downtown
Master Plan
developed
Envision 2010
Sustainability
Initiativ
Every Child I
Every Promise
Project
HOPE
Tri -State
Trail Vision
00
d Partne8hips
Curbside food scrap
collection launched
Historic Millwork
District Master
Plan
Arts
& Cultural Affairs
Advisory Commission
established
Unemployment rate
= 3.7% A t
• 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
"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 La Hood,
U.S. Secretary ofTransportation
Smarter Sustainable
Dubuque
Dubuque 2.0
1
1
12
Producers display healthy local fo ods at Io v o Fs Oldest Farmers' Market (too #)
Dubuque's sustainability principles that contribute to healthy
lifestyle include Healthy Local Foods, Reasonable Mobility, Healthy
Air Clean water and Native Plants & An imaIs.
—to
Dubuque is creating a healthy I ifesty le culture through many
community-based initiatives that are improving both individual
hea Ith and opportun ities for hea Ithy lifestyles.
Live Healthy Dubuque ioo Day Challenge is a weight loss and
physical activity program designed to promote hea Ithier lifestyles.
The program averages of l000 participants and 158
teams annually. I n 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
community partners to provide a comprehensive diabetic program,
tobacco cessation programming, foot and wound care case
management, pharmacy, and referra k 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.
Reinventing 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
t h e i r children, and realize the benefits of eating health ier foods.
The family also experiences the relationship-building benefits of
regularly shared meals.
The Dubuque Farmer's Market — esta blished in 184s 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 ioo vendors.
Market activity is coordinated with four other markets, including a
winter market, through the Dubuque Eats Well steering committee.
The 60-16 has served over 13,724 patents
since its inception in 2oo6.
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 -ig o
housing with data showing that
�
38.g% 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 igg4to 3.6% of the children tested
currently.
Safe Routes to School ( T) 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 SITES plan for every school in Dubuque. Each SIRTS
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
ViSiOt7 to create and implement an integrated hike/bike trail plan. The 13-mile
river re nt stem weaves through City streets, with side routes to the Americus
River Project, to City parks, o nd the Mississippi River. The trail system extends
south to the Mines of in State Recreation Area. (2o09)
walking school bus delivers children safely home without the use of
a vehicle t(ow )
lb' •
l
13,724 patients have received hea It hcare from
Crescent Community Health Center
Dubuque has the oldest Farmers Market in Iowa
with over ioo+ vendors selling healthy local food
every week
Dubuque has decreased its rate of chi Idhood lead
poisoning from 14% to nearly 3%
Heron Pond wetland restoration and
bike trail (2009)
13
Community members partic ipate in Earth Day dialog (2009)
Dubuque's susta inability principles that contribute to Strategic
Planning are Resource Management and Community Knowledge.
.w..,,, x.S2r %11
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 fora better Dubuque
• Improved connectivity - transportation and
telecommunications
The Dubuque Comprehensive Plan establishes goals and objectives
forthe 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, riverfrant 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.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
The Dubuque Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (D M T )
strategically coordinates a variety of programs on a regional
basis, including Housing, Economic Development, Pu bl i c Works,
Engineering, Transit, and Planning, to develop projects addressing
Complete Streets, Safety, Security, Clean Air andTransit to attain
iva b le sustainable communities. The DM ATS Long Range
Transportation Plan link directly to the Dubuque Comprehensive
Plan's future land use goals, objectives, and map.
The region's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy
(CEDS) is developed b ECI A the regional council of governments.
The CEDS is utilized in the region to mon itar and evaluate long
term economic goals ard strategies and to coordinate economic
development activities.
The American Institute of Architects selected Dubuque in 2007 for
the Sustainable Design AssessmentTeam (DT) program, which
broug ht design professionals from across the country to work
with local stakeholders to help shape the community's strategy
for susta ina bi l ity. The SDAT recommendations were incorporated
into the Sustainable Dubuque Plan and the Sustainable Unified
Development Code.
Sarter r Sustainable Dubuque
((S M ARTER
SSD In 2009 IBM and the City
DUBU 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.
Future Growth
Sustainability
Land Use
Consumer Needs
Job locations E—
Housing Locations
Job Location
Mode of
Transportation
Consumer Needs
Workforce
Transportation <
Housing
Transportation
Economic
Development
Housing
Authority
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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.
t
i r
1
I
1 Sustainability
1
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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 d to maintain our Livable Community �����y��������������y������y����p�������������
Safety Groups
Workforce
Development
Health
School System
Corridor Safety
ITS
Security
Transportation
Training
Job Locations
� Air &Water Quality
� Regionalism
Transit
Accommodations
Safety
Security
Connectivity
15
"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, NewYork,
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
"3 3 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 Seidman
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