“All models are wrong; some models are useful” –George Box, statistician How is the Greater Des Moines region supposed to plan 40 years into the future when so much can change?  Looking back forty years into the past, the US … Continue reading →

Imagine every time you go out to eat, dessert is included free of charge. How often would you turn it away? Rarely, right? Of course, because everyone appreciates a good deal. Let’s think about this though. If your restaurant is … Continue reading →

It is December 21st, and many people are scrambling to finish their shopping between the year-end work activities and the plethora of parties and gatherings. Who has time to think about the next two months let alone the next forty … Continue reading →

Defining sustainability is as hard as “ nailing Jello to a tree.” There are already countless definitions of the word out there. Around the U.S. and the world, groups define sustainability differently depending on their frame of reference. For instance, … Continue reading →

Understandably, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the efforts surrounding The Tomorrow Plan, Capital Crossroads, and DART Forward 2035. All three of these are regional plans for the future of Central Iowa. The projects have coordinated leadership … Continue reading →

Are we afraid of the future? For sure, the economy’s got us all worried. But I’m talking about being just a little nervous about what’s going on with the weather. How much snow is going to fall this winter and … Continue reading →

After the launch of The Tomorrow Plan, we heard from the community that food needed to be included in the list of factors considered for how we measure sustainability across Central Iowa. Since Iowa is at the center of food … Continue reading →