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MASON CITY — Faculty and students from the University of Iowa will be working with Mason City officials on a number of projects designed to improve services and increase quality of life.

Those projects could include making Mason City a more bicycle-friendly community, collecting and analyzing city bus system data to better serve citizens, and enhancing downtown alleys and parking areas with murals and other artwork.

“It’s kind of exciting because we have an opportunity to do some innovative projects and do them very cost-effectively,” said Steven Van Steenhuyse, director of the Development Services Department for Mason City.

The university faculty will bring their expertise while the students will bring “enthusiasm and new ideas,” Van Steenhuyse said.

The partnership between Mason City and the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities at the University of Iowa for the 2016-17 academic year was announced last week.

The IISC works with faculty, students and staff across multiple colleges and departments at the university to facilitate community engagement projects, addressing issues and challenges identified by the community.