1000 Friends of Iowa is the only group in the state focused solely on promoting responsible land use in community, state, and federal development decisions. We encourage land use planning that protects farmland and natural areas, and ensures livable communities through implementation of smart growth principles. This results in development that most efficiently uses our tax dollars and publicly-financed infrastructure, protects the environment and public spaces, and helps to create livable communities that retain Iowans and attract visitors to our state.

1000 Friends of Iowa's programming helps to ensure that land use issues are raised, explained and discussed in ways that allow citizens, local leaders, and businesses in affected communities to participate effectively in the process. Land use decisions should be responsive to community interests and reflect principles that ensure sustainable community growth.

We work to achieve this by:

• Engaging in Outreach and Education through speaker's bureaus, news, publications, public forums, the Internet and other activities and events
• Supporting Citizen Dialogue through efforts that encourage the consistent involvement of citizens in local, state and federal land use planning processes
• Affecting Public Policy by monitoring civic bodies, encouraging public participation, lobbying, and highlighting critical issues
• Conducting Research to assist community and state policy makers in their work, and to ensure accountability in public development decisions
• Promoting Development Projects that demonstrate the benefits of meaningful civic involvement in the planning process, and recognizing local smart growth examples
• Encouraging Partnerships within the planning and development communities, and fostering discussion of common community interests

The work of 1000 Friends of Iowa is made possible largely by the generous support of our members. The future of our state is too important to be left solely to corporations, developers and politicians to decide. An engaged, informed, and active citizenry is also critical to ensuring growth occurs in the interests of the entire community, and that future generations are left sustainable foundations on which to build.

Join Today

You can join 1000 Friends of Iowa online with a credit card via our Acteva registration system by following the link below, or by downloading our PDF Membership Flyer and returning the form by mail.

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