Beautification

An increasing number of green spaces, flowers, plantings and streetscapes are adding vibrant colors and natural beauty to downtown Des Moines. Again, Operation Downtown is working behind the scenes with the City of Des Moines and local businesses to make many of the beautification projects possible.

Operation Downtown is dedicated to making downtown Des Moines a beautiful place to live, work, and play. Thanks to a cooperative effort with the City of Des Moines, beautification services, including planting, watering and weeding, flower pots and planting beds adorn downtown streets. Operation Downtown, along with Des Moines Parks and Recreation, plant and maintain over 650 planters. One hundred and twenty-two hanging flower baskets have been installed in the East Village and Court Avenue Districts. Holiday decorations have been strategically positioned in downtown. Our goal is to expand these services to make downtown more beautiful and improve public spaces. This includes encouraging others to follow progressive examples set by other companies such as Ruan Corporation.

Large Planter Program
The large planter program consists primarily of round, precast concrete planters with a patina finish that are placed by Operation Downtown on downtown sidewalks. This four season planting program encourages additional beautification in our downtown by assisting property owners with funding. Businesses can request to participate in the cost-sharing program by contacting Operation Downtown. Several properties and small districts are already part of the program.

Small Planter Program
These planters may be smaller in size but they have a big impact on downtown. The small planter program encourages individual companies to invest in beautification by purchasing small planters to place outside their business. Operation Downtown and Des Moines Parks and Recreation will then install and maintain a summer planting. This encourages smaller businesses to get involved in beautification at an affordable price.

Hanging Basket Program
• Historic Court Avenue District
• Historic East Village

Flower Beds/Green Space
• Historic East Village
• Western Gateway Park
• Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
• The Principal Riverwalk