CLSOCUS002 - The Post-Pandemic Future of Houston and the U.S.

Life was upended for millions of people this past year due to the combined impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, striking political and economic upheavals and growing awareness of systemic racism. Researchers from the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and other Rice University faculty and community experts consider how these converging forces have transformed our city and nation. This spring marks the 40th anniversary of the Kinder Houston Area Survey, which annually assesses the experiences and opinions of Harris County residents and has documented Houston’s “prophetic” role in foreshadowing the nation’s future. This year’s survey offers an unprecedented opportunity to measure systematically the impact of the past year’s events on the U.S.’s fourth largest city, offering critical insights for our region and country. Explore how we might harness this period of disruption to reimagine urban life, public health, housing, education, political processes, equity, social justice and the very fabric of our communities.

LECTURES INCLUDE:

Mar. 29. Prophetic City: Insights from the First 39 Years of the Kinder Houston Area Survey. Stephen Klineberg, Ph.D., founding director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Rice University

Apr. 5. The Post-Pandemic Future of Cities. William Fulton, M.A., director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University

Apr. 12. Equity and Resilience in Houston’s Housing System. Kyle Shelton, Ph.D., deputy director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research, Rice University

Apr 19. After the Vote: What the 2020 Elections Mean for Houston and the U.S. Mark Jones, Ph.D., Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies and Fellow in Political Science, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

Apr 26. The Disparate Impacts of the Pandemic: Food Insecurity and Poverty Among Families with Young Children. Rachel Kimbro, Ph.D., professor and department chair, Sociology Department, Rice University

May 3. Reimagining Equity in Education. Ruth López Turley, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology, Rice University and Director, Houston Education Research Consortium

May 10. Public Health, Healthcare and Health Inequalities: Lessons from the Pandemic. Elena Marks, J.D., M.P.H., president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation

May 17. The 2021 Kinder Houston Area Survey:  How Has the City Changed After a Year of the Pandemic? Stephen Klineberg, Ph.D.

CO-SPONSORS: The Kinder Institute for Urban Research and the Houston Education Research Consortium, Rice University

You may also be interested in our spring 2021 course “Facing Race: Racism, Resistance and Reckoning in the United States.”

See the Houston Chronicle’s 2-2-21 interview with Dr. Stephen Klineberg: “What will Houston look like in a post-pandemic world?”