Greening America’s Capitals – Des Moines

BNIM and Vireo were selected by the Environmental Protection Agency to create a design strategy for a portion of 6th Avenue where Des Moines plans to implement the City’s pilot Green Infrastructure project. The neighborhoods in this area of Des Moines are home to Mercy Hospital, a host of non-profit organizations, and newly immigrated populations from Laos, Vietnam and Sudan. This part of 6th Avenue is also notable for having 15 properties on the historic registrar, a popular street fest called Jazz in July, and has recently received an infrastructure investment on its northern edge with a new bridge over the river and a public art project. High school students from the Riverbend, Drake, and Cheetham Park neighborhoods now have a new way to walk to school and all residents have a great new way to access trails on the north side of the river.

The team held a three-day workshop with the City to solicit input from 6th Avenue residents, businesses and institution stakeholders on Feb. 11-13. This workshop explored community priorities around topics of culture, health, development, and neighborhood connectivity.