During construction of the Ped Mall, the Iowa City Downtown District has come up with ways to keep Ped Mall beautiful and lively.

Preparing for construction, the Iowa City Downtown District has planned a unique way to keep citizens and tourists involved in the center of Iowa City.

The Iowa City Downtown District’s main objective during the revamp of the Pedestrian Mall is to continue to drive traffic on a consistent basis.

Some events that the Downtown District are looking into is outdoor yoga, outdoor ping pong, jenga, live music, a game library, seating, and shade.

Another idea to beautify the scene of construction is to add artwork throughout the construction area.

Betsy Potter, the Director of Operations for the Downtown District said the organization learned the art project last year on Washington Street peaked the community’s curiosity for local art and provided an aesthetically pleasing view to the construction zone.

The Ped Mall will re-use the pop-up shops used during the holiday season as a space for businesses as well as live music.

The pop-up shops will provide a deck space for musicians for instances such as Market Music with Bread Garden and Sunset Salsa, a place where community members can come together to salsa dance.

The destination for these community gathering spaces are near the Iowa City Public Library and the area by Brothers and FilmScene.

— Maria Kuiper