Construction on the second phase of the Ped Mall Improvements Project began on Monday. This phase focuses on the east-west corridor running from Clinton Street to Linn Street. The work is beginning with the trimming and removal of trees.
Pedestrian Mall Improvement Program
Following backlash, the Iowa City Council has decided to replace some of the new Ped Mall benches
The Iowa City Council decided to alter the Ped Mall Improvement Plan to include benches with no center armrest, during its work session on Tuesday. Twenty percent of the 70 new benches, or a total of 14, will be without center armrests. The council also directed the city engineer’s office to determine how many of […]
Group asks Iowa City to remove ‘hostile’ new Ped Mall benches
A group demanding the removal and replacement of the new Ped Mall benches met with Iowa City Manager Geoff Fruin on Monday morning. Organized by Iowa City’s Catholic Worker House, the group believe the design of the new benches, which have armrests in the middle, are a form of hostile architecture, intended to stop people […]
Your Village: Are the new Ped Mall benches hostile to the homeless?
“Everyone is curious about the new benches on the Ped Mall. Are they an example of hostile architecture, designed to make life harder on the homeless? Or are they designed that way to be ADA-compliant? Or is there another line of thought behind this particular choice in benches?”
Takanami reopens as a reinvented El Patrón, shortly after the original El Patrón shuts its doors
A little over a month after purchasing Takanami and less than two weeks after announcing the Japanese fusion restaurant would become a taco and tequila joint, owner Valentina Carrero unveiled her restaurant’s new name — and it sounded familiar. The space at 219 Iowa Ave is the new home of El Patrón, a recycling of […]
Construction schedule for the Ped Mall improvements announced
Construction on the Ped Mall is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 30, Iowa City Senior Engineer Scott Sovers told the audience at Thursday’s public meeting on the Ped Mall Improvement Project.
Final public meeting on Ped Mall improvements before construction starts will happen Thursday
There will be a meeting at the Iowa City Public Library on Thursday to update the public on the Pedestrian Mall Improvement Project, which is scheduled to break ground later this month.
Revised Ped Mall improvement plans highlight the history of Black Hawk Mini Park
History played a big role at the meeting on the future of Iowa City’s Ped Mall on Thursday night. At the first public meeting on the Pedestrian Mall Improvements Project in July, the focus was on engineering and structural improvements.
New designs for the Ped Mall will be unveiled at a public meeting on Thursday
An update on plans for the improvements to Iowa City’s Ped Mall will be presented on Thursday evening at the Sheraton Hotel. The improvements are the next step in the Downtown and Pedestrian Mall Streetscape Plan that was approved by the city council in 2014.
Public meeting on Ped Mall improvement plan reveals some new features and some fixes for old problems
New features and old problems were discussed at Friday night’s public meeting on Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall Improvement Program.

