Des Moines, Iowa

Capital Crossroads Strategic Vision Plan

Greater Des Moines and Central Iowa is at an important crossroads. The region has vibrant neighborhoods, a strong business community, dynamic arts and recreational attractions and a desirable quality of life. But the region also has its challenges. Local leaders feel the time is right to take advantage of opportunities and address challenges through a clear vision and plan for Iowa’s capital region. This process, branded Capital Crossroads, resulted in the development of a new five-year vision strategy for the region. The Greater Des Moines Partnership, Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines and other key partners retained Market Street Services to facilitate the development of Greater Des Moines and Central Iowa’s strategic plan.

The development of Greater Des Moines’ community “product” – the interrelated complement of economic, workforce and community assets that makes the region one of the nation’s most dynamic mid-sized metros – must be taken to the “next level” if Greater Des Moines is to remain a star performer. Determining exactly what this “next level” represents was the defining feature of the region’s proposed strategic visioning process. Together with the community, Market Street designed a planning process that was comprehensive, inclusive and forward-seeking to help build consensus on the dynamics of the region’s future and foster momentum for achievement of implementation success.

Over the course of the process, input was gathered from nearly 5,000 participants in an online questionnaire and through focus groups and interviews. The final vision plan combined the extensive community input with a full assessment of Greater Des Moines’ competitive advantages and an analysis of the most promising target business sector opportunities, ultimately identifying 10 “capitals” or topics for action that will be tackled by smaller groups during implementation. These capitals were grouped into “core principles” of Opportunity, Talent, and Sustainability. The strategic capitals are:

1. Capital Core
2. Urban Core
3. Physical Capital
4. Environmental Capital
5. Governance Capital
6. Business Capital
7. Capital Corridor
8. Human Capital
9. Social Capital
10. Wellness Capital
11. Culture Capital

The final plan was rolled out in September, 2011 and small groups have begun working on implementation of specific recommendations. Currently, over 350 regional stakeholders have agreed to volunteer on the 11 capital work groups.

For more information, see the project website.