The quarterly Capital Crossroads meetings can be an illuminating look at just how diverse the efforts to improve Greater Des Moines are. Community leaders give updates on what they and others are doing to improve the parks, people’s health, government, economic development and culture, for example. I stopped by the July 23 meeting for an update.

The discussions touched on the newest downtown developments, a network of natural areas, coordinated city codes and the Walnut Street makeover, for example.

Here is some of what is happening around town:

• Michael Sadler and David Caris, co-chairmen of the Physical Capital, sent a letter to Iowa’s congressional delegation supporting legislation to raise the facility fees paid by Des Moines airport passengers to as much as $8.50 from the 15-year-old cap of $4.50. Kevin Foley, the airport’s executive director and general manager, has said the extra money would go a long way toward plugging a $200 million gap in financing for a planned new terminal building and related airport improvements.
• Friends of S.W. 9th has started a grant program to encourage businesses along Southwest Ninth Street to improve the facades of their buildings.
• Downtown has an “almost nonexistent vacancy rate” for housing, with 1,000 more units planned for construction this year. The Capital Core committee sees plans for large new developments at Seventh Street and Grand Avenue and along Fifth Street between Court Avenue and Walnut Street as signs of a strong market.
• The first phase of streetscape improvements along Walnut Street are planned for 2016 after the Younkers fire delayed work there.
• In the decade before 2014, Greater Des Moines saw a 58 percent increase in the minority population ages 20 to 64, adding to the workforce.
• Cultivation Corridor plans an Iowa Business Leader ISU Research and Innovation Tour on Aug. 12, with stops at BioCentury Research Farm, BioRenewables Laboratory and Workiva. For more information, contact Brent Willett at 515-360-1732 or Mike Crum, 515-294-7444.
• The Cultural Capital plans to update the Community Cultural Plan over the next year.
• Clive has begun work on its master plan for the greenbelt along Walnut Creek.
• The Central Iowa Code Consortium continues work on ways city codes can be coordinated to ease development. The group is using work by the state of Nevada as a guide.
• The Natural Capital is working on baseline mapping of natural areas in preparation for a specially branded “blue and green network” meant to help connect parks and other outdoor attractions and to encourage people to enjoy them.