Governor Culver signs Great Places agreements with Marion, Iowa City area
Gov. Chet Culver signed agreements on Wednesday, February 17, with Iowa's six new Great Places, including Marion and the Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty area.
Iowa Great Places is an initiative of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs that combines state resources and local assets to help communities cultivate the unique qualities that make them special. The memorandums of understanding bring the state into partnership with the two local communities as well as the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance, Tama County, Turkey River Corridor and Villages of Van Buren County.
The program asks Iowans to develop proposals that address seven unique and authentic dimensions that make places special: engaging experiences; rich, diverse populations and cultures; a vital, creative economy; clean and accessible natural and built environments; well-designed infrastructure; a shared attitude of optimism that welcomes new ideas; and based on a diverse and inclusive cultural mosaic.
The city of Marion has developed a community-wide visioning process called Imagine 8. This process solicited more than 1,800 responses from area residents to develop a clear picture of the community's direction. Eight ideas were selected from the 1,800 ideas submitted by respondents. "All Trails Lead to Marion" focuses on Marion Square Park as the center of community and recreational trails, parks, amphitheatre and public art, connecting many of the Great 8 ideas to a seamless destination point for residents and visitors alike.
Iowa City/Coralville/North Liberty incorporates three communities with a vision focusing on literature. Iowa City became part of the Creative Cities Network when it was named a City of Literature in November 2008 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Iowa City is the third city in the world to receive this recognition, joining Edinburgh, Scotland, and Melbourne, Australia. Its proposal develops and supports the "UNESCO City of Literature" brand for Iowa City and surrounding communities.
