The City of Des Moines has been the primary driver behind neighborhood revitalization efforts in the community for over 20 years. As a mid-sized city, Des Moines has achieved significant success in improving neighborhood conditions through collaboration with residents, the business community, Polk County, a variety of non-profit organizations, and other neighborhood stakeholders.

Embracing New Urbanism in Your Comprehensive Plan, New Urbanism Division

The success of several town center developments during the late 1990’s/early 2000’s dispelled conventional wisdom regarding the superiority of enclosed suburban shopping malls, demonstrating in economically measurable ways a preference by many toward open-air, mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented places with attractive public space.

For decades, the waterfronts of our port cities were the drivers of regional economic development. But as markets changed in the mid-Twentieth Century, these areas in many cities became derelict eyesores, economic black holes that sucked the energy out of these once-thriving urban centers.