This assessment conveys meaningful and measurable information about the current status of the Iowa City community with respect to sustainability. Data from 2007 serves as the baseline from which indicators in the following four years are assessed. Comparisons between Iowa City, the state of Iowa, and national totals are provided for each indicator wherever data is available and applicable. A simplified rating system measures the status of each indicator in the community and allows us to assess whether Iowa City is within or exceeding the acceptable level, below the desired level or unclassifiable due to complexity or other factors such as limited data.

Economic, environmental, and social/cultural conditions are healthy and balanced in a vibrant and livable community. This report evaluates these three categories of the Iowa City community in order to establish baseline conditions for the creation of an effective and coordinated community-driven sustainability roadmap.