Browsing by Author "Niznik, Aaron"
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Item Metadata only The 44th Kinder Houston Area Survey: Destination Houston: A Growing Region’s Path to Prosperity(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Potter, Daniel; Dawson, Lauren; DeLisi, Anna; Goolsby, Karen Pren; Niznik, Aaron; Njeh, Joy; Perez, Katherine; Simburger, Dylan; Valikhanova, Aiganym; Williams, LeeIn 2010, Rice University launched the Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The Houston Area Survey had just wrapped up its 29th administration. Over the past 15 years, as the Kinder Institute has expanded, it has continued to document the story of Houston through its annual survey. This year’s edition reflects on this period, highlighting one of the region’s key distinguishing traits: continued growth.Item 89th Texas Legislative Session: Priorities and Policy Views(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Valikhanova, Aiganym; Dawson, Lauren; Delisi, Anna; Goolsby, Karen; Niznik, Aaron; Njeh, Joy; Perez, Katherine; Potter, Daniel; Simburger, Dylan; Williams, LeeThe Texas legislature’s 89th regular session commenced on January 14, 2025, and will run until June 2, 2025. During this 140-day legislative period, the state legislature will introduce and vote on bills, resolutions, and emergency matters. School vouchers, public school funding, water supply, and cannabis regulations are some of the key issues in this session. To evaluate public expectations for this legislative session and support for proposed policies, residents in Fort Bend, Harris, and Montgomery Counties who are part of the Greater Houston Community Panel were asked about their top priorities for state legislators and how strongly they support or oppose the proposed issues.Item Beyond Dollars and Cents: Exploring Budgeting, Saving, and Financial Security in the Houston Area(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Njeh, Joy; Niznik, Aaron; Potter, DanThis study explores Harris County residents’ financial security, looking at their budgeting and saving practices, barriers people face to budgeting and saving, and how these practices relate to someone being able to withstand economic shocks.Item Financial Knowledge, Banking, and Fintech in Houston and Harris County(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Potter, Daniel; Dawson, Lauren; DeLisi, Anna; Goolsby, Karen; Niznik, Aaron; Njeh, Joy; Perez, Katherine; Simburger, Dylan; Valikhanova, Aiganym; Williams, LeeFinancial literacy and access to capital through a bank are both related to improved economic well-being. To better understand these issues, the Greater Houston Community Panel (GHCP) asked residents of Houston and Harris County, Texas, to report on their financial knowledge, use of banks, and use of more modern financial technology applications (fintech). This report provides a snapshot of the findings.Item Funding Houston's Parks and Greenspace(Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2023) Potter, Daniel; Williams, Lee; Glanzer, Anna; Niznik, Aaron; Dawson, Lauren; Tobin, Alec; Pren, KarenThe report consists of 1) an analysis of parks spending reported to the Trust for Public Land, 2) a survey of Houston-area residents about their park experiences, and 3) interviews with the city’s most recent mayors—Bill White, Annise Parker, and Sylvester Turner—to learn how city leaders have handled funding challenges.Item Housing Affordability and Instability(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Potter, Dan; Dawson, Lauren; DeLisi, Anna; Niznik, Aaron; Njeh, Joy; Perez, Katherine; Pren, Karen; Simburger, Dylan; Valikhanova, Aiganym; Williams, LeeThis snapshot looked at housing affordability and instability in the Houston area. Residents were asked how difficult it was in the past 12 months to afford housing costs, and if certain factors such as increasing rents or utility bills, contributed to the difficulty they experienced. Residents were also asked whether the challenges they faced had forced them to move in the past year.Item Opportunity Youth Healthcare Pipeline Study(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research and United Way of Greater Houston, 2024) Bao, Katharine Yang; Njeh, Joy; Selsberg, Brad; Niznik, Aaron; Horne, Autumn; Potter, Daniel; Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban ResearchThe Opportunity Youth Healthcare Pipeline (OYHP) initiative, a collaborative effort by J.P. Morgan Chase, United Way of Greater Houston, Memorial Hermann Health System, and several community-based organizations, seeks to connect youth with career opportunities in the health care sector in the Houston region. In partnership with the United Way, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research conducted an in-depth study to explore the operational dynamics, challenges, opportunities, and successes of the implementation of the program. Drawing on insights from participants, program staff, and stakeholders, the study highlights the need for enhanced program awareness, clearer communication channels, tailored support initiatives to better serve Opportunity Youth (OY), and training programs that meet the evolving needs and expectations of the job market.Item Metadata only Safety Climate in the Houston Fire Department(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Dawson, Lauren; Niznik, Aaron; Potter, DanIn summer 2023, the Houston Fire Department (HFD) partnered with Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research in order to better understand the safety climate of its department. In the workplace, safety climate refers to employees’ shared perceptions of their organization’s safety policies, procedures, and practices, and the types of behaviors that are supported and rewarded by leadership. Safety climate is predictive of actual safety behaviors in the workplace as well as safety-related outcomes, such as injuries, fatalities, and near-misses (Jiang et al., 2018; Beus et al., 2010). By better understanding the climate at its stations, HFD sought to take steps to improve its safety culture in order to create a safer workplace for its first responders, whose jobs often place them in unsafe situations.Item The 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Sherman, Stephen Averill; Kim, Andrew; Niznik, Aaron; Glanzer, Anna; Tobin, Alec; Potter, DanielThe 2024 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report explores the implications of increasing homeownership costs in the region. The report is divided into three chapters looking at where and who are homeowners, housing affordabliity and gentrification indicators.Item The 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey: Houston of Tomorrow: Perspectives from a city shaping America’s future(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Potter, Daniel; Pren, Karen; Tobin, Alec; Perez, Katherine; Njeh, Joy; Glanzer, Anna; Williams, Lee; Niznik, Aaron; Dawson, Lauren; Dulin, MattThe 43rd annual Kinder Houston Area Survey provides an unparalleled look at current conditions in the region as well as the “Houston of Tomorrow.” While the same challenges that have weighed on the region over the last few years — crime and safety, the affordable housing, and the economy —remain at the forefront of people’s thinking, survey results show Houstonians are excited about the next 10 to 20 years and how emerging opportunities may reshape their lives, careers, and communities.Item Metadata only What 'Home' Means to Residents in the Houston Area(Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2025) Niznik, Aaron; Dawson, Lauren; DeLisi, Anna; Goolsby, Karen P.; Njeh, Joy; Perez, Katherine; Potter, Dan; Simburger, Dylan; Valikhanova, Aiganym; Williams, LeeThe idea of “home” is a multidimensional concept that encapsulates a variety of meanings, ranging from psychological orientations and physical locations to the relationships that unfold within. In the summer of 2024, members of the Greater Houston Community Panel were surveyed and asked, “What do you think of when you hear the word ‘home’?” and given an open space to write 1-2 sentences to describe what came to mind. This snapshot explores the ways in which area residents conceptualize home. In short, residents organized their thinking into four broad categories: 1) psychological orientations/attachments, 2) geographical location/built environment, 3) social relationships, and 4) activities. Additionally, while most residents have positive associations with home, some do not feel “at home” and associate the word with negative experiences, highlighting the fluid nature of home in the context of high stress.