Greater Houston Community Panel

Houston: Let's find the path toward better parks and greenspace for every neighborhood

A new report from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research makes clear that Houston’s city parks are woefully underfunded. Of the 13 U.S. cities with populations over 1 million, Houston ranks last in city spending for its parks department.

Funding Houston's Parks and Greenspace

This report explores parks and greenspace funding in the Houston area.

Election 2023: Priorities and Concerns of Houston Residents

This report identifies the city's current challenges and opportunities and what issues residents would like to see the next mayor address.

Election 2023 Survey

This report identifies the city's current challenges and opportunities and what issues residents would like to see the next mayor address.

Physical activity is a magic bullet for our health. So what’s holding us back?

Regular physical activity may be the closest thing we have to a “magic bullet” to combat the obesity epidemic and alarmingly high rates of cardiovascular disease. Physical activity offers dramatic benefits for individuals but it also has the potential to knit together the social fabric of our communities, making us healthier physically and mentally. And it is free. So, what’s holding us back? As it turns out, something as easy as a safe walk around the neighborhood is out of reach for too many communities.

Houstonians have put aside concerns about public health as pandemic recedes from view

On May 11, 2021, Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research released the results of the 40th annual Houston Area Survey. Among the findings: 22% of respondents – a far higher share than in any previous survey – rated “public health” as the “biggest problem facing people in the Houston area today.”

With economic concerns rising, Houstonians want more done to address the gap between rich and poor

As economic aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic linger, Houstonians have a dimmer view of their prospects, according to the 42nd annual Kinder Houston Area Survey. With inflation and housing costs reaching record highs—and a potential recession on the horizon—optimism among survey respondents was at one of its lowest levels in nearly three decades. More than ever before, Houston residents are also in alignment that more must be done to close income gaps.

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2023 Results

The 42nd Kinder Houston Area Survey provides a glimpse into how Houstonians are thinking about the economy, affordable housing, inequality, and other critical challenges and issues facing their communities.

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2022 Results

The 41st Kinder Houston Area Survey shares Houstonians’ views on the economy, crime, the pandemic and other issues related to the city’s demographic transformations.