HomeMy WebLinkAbout4-STAR Community Rating Guide2016 The City of Iowa City was awarded a 4-STAR Community Rating for sustainability excellence by being
formally certified in the STAR Community Rating System (Sustainability Tools for Assessing and Rating
Communities). The City’s approved final score is 484.8, which qualifies Iowa City as a Certified 4-STAR
Community and the highest-scored city in the State of Iowa. Iowa City is the fifth community in Iowa
and 47th nationwide to achieve certification from STAR Communities, a nonprofit organization that
certifies sustainable communities.
IOWA CITY
is a 4-STAR community
STAR is the nation’s leading framework and certification program for evaluating local sustainability,
encompassing social, economic and environmental performance measures. STAR helps communities
evaluate their strengths and weaknesses across seven goal areas, shown in the chart below.
Sustainability
Tools for
Assessing &
Rating Communities
93%
77.6%
68.5%
59%
57.8%
Education, Arts & Community
Health & Safety
Built Environment
Economy & Jobs
Natural Systems
Equity & Empowerment
Climate & Energy 40.7%
STAR points are awarded for “outcomes”
and for “actions.” Outcome points are given
for reaching a level of measurable success.
Actions are awarded for activities that focus
on moving toward sustainable levels.
Goal Area Points
Iowa City was awarded 52% of points for
outcomes and 48% points for actions. These
actions and outcomes show a high level of
achievement sustainability.
75%
Areas of Improvement
100% of households
are located within 3 miles of
an off-road trail
Public Spaces
Graduation Rates
Achieved over 90% average
high school graduation rate
for public schools
59% Arts & Culture
Exceeding Expectations
of adult
residents attend
a live performing
arts event
annually
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation
Reduce community-wide greenhouse
gas emissions
Natural Resource Protection
Increase restoration of
natural areas
Waste Minimization
Decrease waste going to landfill
484.8 Total Points Achieved
Safe Community
Below average violent crime
rate per population
48%
ACTIONS OUTCOMES
52%
+41 INNOVATION
POINTS
Outcome and Action Points
The percentage of points in each of the seven goal areas are shown below. Goal
areas included 5-7 different objectives with both outcomes and actions.