Iowa’s Living Roadways Celebration
November 5 @ 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Celebrating Our Roots and Our Routes: 30 Years of Community Visioning
On November 5th in Ames, small-town residents from throughout the state will gather to explore innovative planting and green infrastructure strategies to help communities bloom and grow. Sometimes even small, temporary projects can lead to big impacts. Since 1996, the Community Visioning program has collaborated with more than 260 Iowa towns to create thoughtful, innovative solutions that build on the values and pride of the people who live, work, and play there. Come see the visions for our 2026 communities and learn how other towns have been successful implementing projects.
Description of the Day
The day will feature panel discussions, workshops, an exhibitor fair, and a FREE Grant Writing 101 session. Don’t miss your chance to network with representatives from a variety of organizations and communities, learn the ins and outs of writing successful grant proposals, and learning about successful community projects from around the state. NOTE* space is limited to 40 participants, register today!
Panel and Roundtable Discussion
Bill Whittaker, Associate Director at the Office of the State Archaeologist, will join other speakers for a fascinating discussion on some of the earliest routes used by humans. Old buffalo trails? Early Native American trails? Fur trapper trails? Bill will share his expertise.
New Community Orientation
The 2026 Community Visioning towns will dive into the process by learning about the components that make up the local transportation system and by applying their local knowledge through a mapping exercise focused on their community.
Tour of Community Boards
Get inspired by the 2026 Community Visioning towns’ creative concepts.
Luncheon, Keynote, and Partner Recognition
Exhibitor Fair
Meet representatives from businesses with the knowledge and expertise to help you complete a community project, whether you need design services, signage, lighting, or other amenities.
Afternoon Workshops
Workshops in the afternoon will feature inspirational success stories from communities that have implemented projects. ISU will feature the data team that works with towns across the state to organize and analyzing the reams of data available to us all.
- Grant Writing 101
Learn about the grant writing process, from researching grants to tips and tricks for writing an effective grant proposal. This session takes the entire afternoon, right after lunch until closing remarks. Space is limited; pre-registration is required.
- ISU Data Team
The amount of public data that is available to community leaders is amazing. Join the ISU Data Team to learn about what is out there, how to analyze and use data to plan strategically and allow your community to thrive.
- Community Success Stories
Taking a project from concept to reality and actually getting it built can be a challenge. Learn from ordinary folks that have done amazing work implementing projects in their own hometown. It all starts with a vision, but the end result from these projects is spectacular.