Community Visioning - Stanton, IA

JBC Landscape Architects worked with Stanton as part of the 2022 Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning Program, teaming up with local residents, Trees Forever field staff, and Iowa State University’s design team to explore ways to strengthen transportation connections and enhance key community spaces. Through surveys, focus groups, and a full review of local transportation assets, the project grounded its concepts in the needs and experiences of Stanton residents.

The steering committee identified several priorities for the community’s future: improving and expanding park spaces, enhancing downtown streetscapes and accessibility, creating an entertainment complex, establishing a community sculpture garden, and elevating the Swedish Cultural Center’s outdoor gathering area. These goals shaped a set of design concepts focused on walkability, recreation, and community identity.

The resulting vision outlines a coordinated plan for trail connectivity, park improvements, downtown beautification, and cultural amenities, offering Stanton a practical, long-term framework for strengthening both everyday mobility and the community’s unique sense of place.