The Kinder Institute for Urban Research

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https://hdl.handle.net/1911/105134
The Kinder Institute for Urban Research builds better cities and improves people's lives by bringing together data, research, engagement and action.

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    2018 Houston Civic Health Index
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Lappie, John; Coates, Jeff; Matthews, Lisa
    Commissioned by Houston Endowment, this study examines the state of civic health in Greater Houston (the Houston MSA) to better understand civic attitudes and behaviors as well as political participation. The objective of this report is to frame discussions with community leaders and local stakeholders about how to address and improve specific indicators of Greater Houston’s civic health; this report does not offer specific policy recommendations.
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    A Bottom-Up Infrastructure Strategy for American Renewal
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Cisneros, Henry G.; Fulton, William; Clark, J.H. Cullum; Hendricks, David; Davis, Victoria; Vasquez, Claudia; Martinez, Lisa; Rodriguez, Lucrecia
    As the United States emerges from the pandemic, it is clear that the nation faces a number of major challenges. This report and an accompanying interactive map explore the infrastructure priorities identified by local and regional leaders around the nation. The report also outlines an unconventional bottom-up approach to improvements.
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    A Tale of Two Departments: Public Health in Harris County and the City of Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Fulton, William; Witt, Alan; Fedorowicz, Nikola; Mokrushina, Ksenia; Shelton, Kyle; Guajardo, Luis; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    The purpose of this report is to take a fresh look at possible service overlaps between the Harris County Department of Public Health and the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services and identify options to reduce those overlaps and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the public health delivery system.
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    Accessing Opportunity: Employment and Community Patterns among Low-, Medium-, and High-Wage Workers in Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Wu, Jie; Hu, Yujie; Zhang, Mingming; Patterson, Grant
    Proximity to jobs is important for all residents as it can affect employment outcomes, but it is especially crucial for low-income households whose budgets can be disproportionately impacted by transportation costs and long commutes. This report uses data from the Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) program, the American Community Surveys and other survey data to explore the geographical movement of workers in an urban setting. The purpose of the work presented here is to document differences in commuting patterns among different income groups and to inform the development of programs designed to enhance the physical and economic mobility of Houston’s labor force.
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    Agenda: Lecture-Based Intro to Data
    (Rice University, 2019) Koh, Daniel
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    Agenda: Project-Based Learning Intro to Data
    (Rice University, 2019) Koh, Daniel
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    Agenda: Train the Trainers
    (Rice University, 2019) Koh, Daniel
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    Already vulnerable neighborhoods are hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2020)
    An interactive dashboard created by the Kinder Institute’s Houston Community Data Connections shows job-loss estimates in each Harris County community. The numbers can be further broken down by industry and neighborhood. Many of the areas impacted most by the economic downturn are home to low-income renters, the working poor and single-parent households.
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    Annual Report 2017
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Rougeau, Rose; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    In 2017, close to two dozen research reports were released, focusing on a wide range of policy concerns including Hurricane Harvey, resilience, gentrification, affordable housing and transportation.
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    Annual Report 2018
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2019) Rougeau, Rose; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    In 2018, while Hurricane Harvey continued to influence many Kinder Institute studies, the institute narrowed its focus to six key issues, including demographics, education, transportation, housing, governance and post-Harvey resiliency.
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    Annual Report 2019
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2020) Rougeau, Rose; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    In 2019, the Kinder Institute helped shape critical conversations on important urban issues including the use of federal housing vouchers, barriers for small manufacturers and the benefits of arts education. The institute also served as the strategic research partner for Understanding Houston, Greater Houston Community Foundation's regional indicators project.
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    Annual Report 2020
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2021) Rougeau, Rose; Kinder Institute for Urban Research
    In 2020, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research celebrated its 10th anniversary. COVID-19 and a renewed concern over racial injustice would dominate the year, and the institute pivoted its research and events in accordance.
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    Artist-Planner Collaborations: Lessons learned from the arts and culture ecosystems of three Sun Belt cities for a new model of inclusive planning
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2019) Patterson, Grant; Binkovitz, Leah
    City leaders have an opportunity to critically engage with community-rooted artists and cultural organizations to orient arts and culture efforts toward communities’ most pressing issues. Through cultural planning analysis of three peer cities — Houston, Denver and San Antonio — this report shows how art can be used in order to promote positive neighborhood change, including equity of access to resources and programs, inclusive planning processes and implementation of new strategies to promote inclusivity and maximize economic impact. Investing in arts and culture across neighborhoods, race and income is a matter of cultural equity. Leaders in the arts ecosystem increasingly recognize the fact that access to quality cultural offerings and the ability to design and implement them should not be limited by identity, socioeconomic status or neighborhood.
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    Availability of and Equity in Access to HISD Pre-K Programs (Part 1). Research Brief for the Houston Independent School District. Volume 8, Issue 4.
    (Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2019) Baumgartner, Erin; Thrash, Courtney; Sanchez, Luis
    This study examines student access to HISD pre-k programs, measured in multiple ways: whether a program exists in their elementary zone and whether a program exists within one mile of their residence. Researchers also estimated whether there is equity in access, by examining whether students who have the greatest need (including economically disadvantaged and English learners) also have the greatest access to pre-k. Across measures, researchers found that economically disadvantaged students have a greater likelihood of access to pre-k than their non-economically disadvantaged peers. However, English learners, another population targeted by the state policy to receive pre-k, are not more likely to have access to pre-k than their peers who are not English learners.
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    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, Dan
    This 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.
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    Building Stronger Suburbs: Adaptability and Resilience Best Practices From Suburban Houston
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2016) Shelton, Kyle
    This report highlights best practices for creating resilient and adaptable development in diverse suburban communities. Faced with both immense opportunities and challenges, these areas must avoid overcommitting to outdated practices that limit future flexibility. Many changes are elevating this need. Shifting consumer preferences are supporting the revitalization of central cities. Suburban communities are becoming denser and more urban. Demographic revolutions and growing suburban poverty are changing entire regions’ political and socioeconomic dynamics. Climate change and worsening natural disasters are pushing the limits of existing infrastructure. A growing acknowledgement of how our communities’ designs impact their residents’ health is promoting conversations about building more sustainable regions. In order to ensure long-term prosperity, all suburban communities must recognize their connection with each other and the region around them. Rather than competing with each other, suburbs and core cities must share innovations, successes and lessons learned from mistakes. Best practices for adaptability and resilience are drawn from several Houston-area suburban case studies. By implementing these practices, aging suburban communities are retooling. Thriving suburbs are redefining themselves. New suburbs are integrating resilience and adaptability strategies into their initial plans. The documentation and dissemination of these best practices provides a blueprint for the pursuit of more successful suburbs nationwide.
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    Campus Variation in Grade Retention and Course Failure Rates After Attending Summer School in Houston ISD
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Thrash, Courtney; Pham, Annie; Hood, Stacey
    This brief examines summer school retention and course failure rates at schools throughout the district to determine which schools have higher rates relative to other schools in the district. It also looks at what characteristics are associated with a student being retained after summer school and failing a course in summer school.
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    Career and Technical Education Alongside the STEM Endorsement in the Houston Area
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2024) Molina, Mauricio; Selsberg, Bradley
    This brief explores the connection between career and technical education programs and high school endorsements and what pathways students follow to complete and attain them.
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    Case Studies in Floodplain Buyouts: Looking to best practices to drive the conversation in Harris County
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Patterson, Grant
    This report, meant to frame the buyouts discussion in the Houston region, begins by overviewing the basic elements of federal funding for floodplain acquisitions, more commonly known as buyouts. The central component of the federal government’s approach to buyouts is the Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) program and its multiple subprograms, which are administered by FEMA. This report examines three jurisdictions at different levels of government that have undertaken buyouts and shows the variety of ways the tool can be used as one element in a larger flood mitigation strategy. Harris County has done the greatest number of buyouts in the United States, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have a consolidated program and the State of New Jersey has revised and shortened the process to cover more ground. In addition, this report includes a brief examination of the implementation challenges around buyout programs, with specific discussion of the issues facing Harris County jurisdictions considering the approach. Finally, the three case studies will be used to describe the acquisition process and to discuss innovative ways the three case study areas are using buyouts as a part of their flood mitigation strategies.
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    Cementing Millennials Downtown: Expressions and Impacts
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Pfeiffer, Deirdre; Pearthree, Genevieve; Ehlenz, Meagan
    The migration of Millennials to urban downtowns is one of the most discussed trends of the 2010s. Downtowns are changing in response to Millennials, but we know less about how or why these changes are occurring. This report helps to fill this gap by exploring how real estate developers are cementing Millennials in the downtowns of two Sunbelt cities, Phoenix and Houston, which are emerging sites of Millennial migration. We draw findings using data from the U.S. Census, regional media, and interviews with 22 experts involved in Phoenix and Houston’s downtown housing markets. Downtown developers perceive Millennials as needing housing that is authentic, flexible, and socially conscious and provides an inside/out, constantly connected life. These developers have molded their perceptions of Millennials’ lifestyle preferences into the brick and mortar of downtown Phoenix and Houston through innovative building design and site selection. The symbiotic actions of Millennials and developers in downtown Phoenix and Houston also are reshaping these regions’ housing markets. Underlying concerns including rising housing costs and gentrification in the downtowns and reduced demand for housing in the suburbs, if Millennials living downtown stay.