what are the housing goals for iowa's biggest city, and how should they be met?

SUMMARY

During the period 2017-2019, czb helped Des Moines and Polk County reorient neighborhood revitalization efforts and establish a new non-profit called Invest DSM to implement a new strategy. In 2019, czb completed a Regional Workforce Housing Strategy that resulted in the City of Des Moines linking development incentives to inclusionary housing outcomes. Following these efforts, czb returned to Des Moines in 2024 and 2025 to craft a Citywide Housing Strategy.

While market strength, regional parity, and neighborhood revitalization remained areas of focus, the city also wanted to work toward a complete “housing ladder” where a broad variety of households can find quality housing options they can afford at different income levels and stages of life. The 2025 Citywide Housing Strategy was aimed at solidifying the city’s effective approaches to a variety of housing issues and adding a new “line of business” in block-by-block mid-density, mixed-income redevelopment. The “Whole Block” approach, if implemented effectively, will achieve a blend of three elusive goals: 1) economic revitalization of neighborhoods; 2) reinvestment in rehabbed and new housing stocks; and 3) preservation of substantial affordability.