1 Building better cities. ANNUAL REPORT 2016 Annual Report 2016 2 Kinder Institute Founders Nancy & Rich Kinder KINDER INSTITUTE FOUNDERS NANCY & RICH KINDER n reviewing the accomplishments of the Kinder many parties involved as the primary source to under- Institute for Urban Research over the past year, it stand the issues and challenges facing our city as a result Iis clear the Institute has emerged as an important of the pension situation. force—and an honest broker—objectively capturing and We are grateful to Rice University for housing the analyzing urban issues in Houston. Kinder Institute and to Houston Endowment Inc. for The Kinder Institute released almost 20 reports last providing substantial support that has allowed the year. More important than the quantity, however, is the Kinder Institute to expand its scope and footprint in breadth and impact of the Institute’s work. Houston. We look forward to even greater accomplish- ments in 2017. In 2016, the Kinder Institute took on issues as diverse as urban education, housing and development, health in our neighborhoods, income disparity, building stronger Rich Kinder suburbs—and perhaps most significantly, the City of Advisory Board Chairman Houston’s pension crisis. Kinder Institute for Urban Research The Kinder Institute’s pension report, for example, Nancy Kinder framed the complex pension issue—articulately and im- Advisory Board President partially—and was used by the Houston Chronicle and the Kinder Institute for Urban Research Kinder Institute for Urban Research Kinder Institute Advisory Board 3 Advisory Board Members CHAIRMAN: John Mingé Rich Kinder, Kinder Morgan BP America, Inc. PRESIDENT: Nancy Kinder, Kinder Foundation Eric O. Anyah Armando Perez Museum of Fine Arts, Houston H-E-B Ann Barnes, M.D. Herman L. Stude Legacy Community Health The Brown Foundation, Inc. Robert M. Eury Y. Ping Sun Central Houston, Inc. Rice University | YetterColeman LLP C. Hastings Johnson Algenita Scott Davis* Hines Central Houston, Inc. George Levan Steven Kean* Levan Group Kinder Morgan Allen Matusow, Ph.D. Patrick C. Oxford* Rice University Bracewell LLP * Members Emeriti Annual Report 2016 4 Rice University President David Leebron RICE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DAVID LEEBRON ive years ago, when Rice University These include, for example, faculty in the School of celebrated its centennial, we Social Sciences, in the Rice School of Architecture, in the Fcommitted ourselves to become Jones School of Business, in the School of Humanities more engaged in the well-being of the and in the George R. Brown School of Engineering. Rice great city of which we are a part. Since University provides a vast array of expertise about the that time, we have reached beyond the hedges as never urban environment and the urban experience that the before, collaborating with our political and civic leaders, Kinder Institute draws upon in developing its research the business community, our schools and our neighbor- and proposals. hoods to help make Houston a better place for the people Houston is a remarkable city—welcoming, dynamic, who live and work there. cosmopolitan, diverse, cultured, generous and prosper- Rice’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research is a critical ous. For a century, Rice University has been proud to be part of this efort. Since its origins with Steve Klineberg a part of Houston’s remarkable growth and emergence and the Houston Area Survey—and especially since the as a global city. Now more than ever, we are proud to Institute was endowed by Rich and Nancy Kinder in play an integral role in making Houston a better place, 2010—the Kinder Institute has become a major force in and grateful for the leading role of the Kinder Institute helping shape and solve urban issues in Houston and in this efort. other cities around the nation and the world. Rice is blessed with an extraordinary set of intellectual David Leebron resources from across the university that the Kinder President Institute can call upon to help deal with urban issues. Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research Kinder Institute Director Bill Fulton 5 KINDER INSTITUTE DIRECTOR BILL FULTON hen we reviewed the reports who are neither working nor in school don’t fall through the Kinder Institute released the cracks of “the system.” And, of course, the Houston Win 2016, I was amazed that Education Research Consortium continued to churn out the list was almost 20 items long—every- many research reports that have informed policymaking thing from magnet schools to mayoral at the Houston Independent School District. elections, resilient suburbs to fixing potholes, concen- Even when the Kinder Institute has not had a direct trated poverty in Houston neighborhoods to pension impact on policy and on-the-ground action, we have be- reform. And, of course, there’s the 35th Annual Kinder gun to play an important role in shaping how the public Houston Area Survey. and the media frame urban issues in Houston. We have That’s a pretty impressive list for a research institute been a constant presence on the pages of the Houston that re-booted only one year before. I couldn’t be proud- Chronicle, on television and on Houston Public Media. er of our staf and all of the hard work they put into all These are impressive achievements. But they are only these reports this year. the beginning. Now that we are completely stafed up, But our job at the Kinder Institute isn’t just to produce we will be cranking out even more reports in 2017. reports. It’s also to have impact on urban issues, espe- Of course, none of these accomplishments would be pos- cially here in Houston. And here’s where I am especially sible without the generous support of Nancy and Rich proud of everyone here at the Kinder Institute. Because Kinder, Houston Endowment Inc. and our other donors, there’s no doubt that in addition to increasing the number as well as President David Leebron and Rice University. of reports, we are beginning to have a big impact. With all this support, we look forward to making The impact of our pension report has gotten a lot of Houston an even better place in 2017 and beginning publicity. But the pension report wasn’t the only Kinder to work with our peer institutions elsewhere to tackle Institute work product to have a big impact on Houston. urban issues across the Sun Belt. Our report on disconnected young adults—“Houston’s Opportunity,” prepared in conjunction with JPMorgan Chase & Co.—stimulated a conversation among a wide Bill Fulton range of social service and educational providers on how Director to work better together to make sure that young adults Kinder Institute for Urban Research Annual Report 2016 6 Contents CONTENTS 7 Executive Summary 8 Houston Endowment Awards Kinder Institute $7 Million Grant 9 Urban Data Platform: Our Tool for Forging New Connections 10 Research 16 Community Bridges 18 Kinder Institute in Action 22 Public Programs 24 Kinder Institute Forum 2016 Highlights 26 Urban Edge Blog 29 Development Highlights 31 Faculty Advisory Committee 32 Affiliated Research 34 Kinder Institute Staff 36 Financial Summary 38 Kinder Institute Supporters Mission Statement The mission of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research is to: • Advance understanding of the most important issues facing Houston and other leading urban centers through rigorous research, policy analysis and public outreach; and • Collaborate with civic and political leaders to implement promising solutions to these critical urban issues. Kinder Institute for Urban Research Executive Summary 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The Urban Data Platform, a first-of-its-kind efort he year 2016 marked a turning point for the Kinder to compile, organize and analyze urban data across Institute for Urban Research: The organization pro- many disciplines, became operational. The data duced more research, reached a wider audience and T platform will allow researchers and policymakers in had more impact than at any point in its seven-year history. Houston and beyond to engage in cross-disciplinary After undergoing a re-launch in 2015 that included research to gain a deeper understanding of local hiring a new director, adding key staf members and de- issues. The platform will serve as a foundational buting several new programs, the Institute’s scope and resource for future Institute research. influence has reached new heights. • Houston Endowment awarded the Kinder Institute In 2016, the Kinder Institute produced cutting-edge research a generous three-year, $7 million grant that allowed that addressed some of the most important urban policy the Institute to increase its capacity for research and questions facing Houston. It engaged policymakers, the outreach. The grant supported the hiring of more news media, the business community, nonprofits and the than 10 new full-time positions and allowed the general public in conversations about the future of Houston. Institute to begin work in several new program areas. The Institute also secured critical funding in 2016 that • The Kinder Institute Forum, the Institute’s flag- will allow it to continue influencing the conversation ship event series, hosted some of the world’s most about Houston and metropolitan areas nationwide for celebrated urban thinkers who, in many cases, were years to come. visiting Houston for the first time. In 2016, guests in- cluded Janette Sadik-Khan, the former commissioner Among the Kinder Institute’s 2016 highlights: of the New York City Department of Transportation, • The Institute published “The Houston Pension and Richard Florida, the bestselling author and Question,” a report that explains how the city’s $3.9 senior editor at The Atlantic. Overall, nearly 3,000 billion unfunded pension liability developed and how people attended Institute events in 2016. it can be reversed. The Kinder Institute held a series • The Institute expanded its Urban Edge blog, one of of briefings and events to ensure key stakeholders— the organization’s leading tools used to disseminate those who are actually in a position to act on this information about Kinder Institute research and research—understood the report’s implications.