Are you interested in the future of Iowa City Parks and Recreation? This page is home to all the details and information about Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department's master plans.
2022 Gather Here Recreation Master Plan
This plan, approved by the City Council in 2022, evaluated conditions and lifespan of recreation facilities, as well as created a vision for programs, activities, and events desired by the community.
This plan provides a study of the City’s current active park areas to evaluate accessibility, condition, and lifespan of the facilities, as well as providing a visioning component to determine the park amenities and facilities desired by the community. This plan focused on the department’s outdoor spaces and does not address the programs or services based inside the recreation centers or City Park Pool. The plan was approved by the Iowa City Council in Sept. 2017.
Between 2016 - 2019, the Iowa City Parks and Forestry Division undertook an inventory of the City's trees. The trees were mapped and cataloged by species. This inventory yielded an interactive map to help the Parks and Forestry Division better manage and maintain Iowa City's urban forest.
Note: The information and data presented herein is a snapshot in time and is intended to be an accurate representation of existing records. The City of Iowa City assumes no liability for errors or omissions. Users relying on this information should do so at their own risk.
Plan-It Geo provides online tutorials for navigating and using the tree inventory.
2017 Natural Areas Master Plan
This plan provides a study and inventory of natural areas which are owned and maintained by the Iowa City Parks & Recreation Department. The process evaluated the ecological condition of each area and provided management plans to restore natural areas. The plan prioritized investments into each area to maximize ecological restoration of sensitive areas. The plan was approved by the Iowa City Council in December 2017.
Iowa City is dedicated to building a thriving urban and community forest for a healthy and vibrant city. Realizing the community forest is a valued asset, Iowa City invested in a collaborative planning process, involving extensive urban forest resource and program analysis to develop a clear, concise, and timeline-oriented Urban Forest Management Plan.