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YEAR 28 OF THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY: Tracking Responses
to the Region’s Transportation Needs
STEPHEN L. KLINEBERGChanging Direction: Transportation Town Hall
19 May 2009
Supported by local foundations, corporations, and individuals, the annual surveys have interviewed 28 scientifically selected successive representative samples of Harris County residents.
In May 1982, just two months after the first Houston Area Sur- vey was completed, the 80-year oil boom suddenly collapsed.
The region recovered from the deep and prolonged recession in the mid 1980s to find itself squarely in the midst of . . .
• a restructured economy and • a demographic revolution.
These are the same transformations that have refashioned American society itself in the past quarter-century. For 28 years, the Houston surveys have tracked area residents’ changing perspectives on these remarkable trends.
THE HOUSTON AREA SURVEY (1982-2009)
Houston's prospects will now increasingly depend on the city’s ability to attract and retain the nation’s most skilled and creative “knowledge workers” and high tech companies.
This will require continued significant improvements in . . .
• the region’s mobility and transportation systems• the revitalization and preservation of its urban centers• the excellence of its venues for sports, arts, and culture • the enhancement of its green spaces, trees, and bayous• the richness of its hiking, boating, and birding areas• the healthfulness of its air and water quality• Its overall physical attractiveness and aesthetic appeal
THE NEW IMPORTANCE OF “QUALITY-OF-PLACE” CONSIDERATIONS
The public’s support for new initiatives along these lines has remained firm or grown stronger across the years of surveys.
FIGURE 1: ASSESSMENTS OF TRAFFIC IN THE HOUSTON AREA AND OF THREE
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS (2005-2009)
67
22
9
30
26
40
66
23
10
27 26
42
60
24
15
25
20
50
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
Worse Same Better Highways Urbanism Transit
Pe
rce
nt
of
Re
sp
on
de
nts
2005 2007 2009
"Over the past three years, has traffic in the Houston area generally gotten better, gotten worse, or has it stayed about the same?"
"Which of these proposals would be the best long-term solution to the traffic problems in the Houston area?"
(r=+.078, p.=.001) (r=+.079, p.=.001)
FIGURE 2: CHANGES IN TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, ACROSS SIX SECTORS OF THE REGION (2007)
38
29
55
27
2218
61
71
45
71
7882
1 1 1 20 0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
105
110
115
City of Houston(N=314)
Harris CountySuburbs (N=327)
Galveston Island(N=277)
GalvestonMainland (N=323)
Fort Bend County(N=303)
MontgomeryCounty (N=304)
Perc
en
t o
f R
esp
on
den
ts
Same/Gotten better Gotten worse Don't Know
"Over the past three years, has traffic in(your area) generally gotten better, gottenworse, or has it stayed about the same?"
FIGURE 3: PREFERRED SOLUTIONS TO TRAF- FIC CONGESTION, ACROSS SIX SECTORS (2007)
8179
82
85
80
76
60 59
61
58
73 73
4849
62
56
6366
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
City of Houston(N=314)
Harris CountySuburbs (N=327)
Galveston Island(N=277)
Galveston Mainland(N=323)
Fort Bend County(N=303)
Montgomery County(N=304)
Perc
en
t o
f R
esp
on
den
ts
Improve Public Transportation
Build Bigger and Better Roads
Develop New Urbanist Communities
"Which two of these three proposals would be the best long-term solution to the traffic problems in your area?"
FIGURE 4: THE IMPORTANCE OF A MUCH IMPROVED MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM AND OF INCLUDING A RAIL COMPONENT (1991-2008)
6263
57
52
4547
58
49
4645
32
34
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
1991 1993 2003 2004 2006 2008
Year of Survey
Pe
rce
nt
Sa
yin
g, "
Ve
ry Im
po
rta
nt"
The development of a much im-proved mass transit system is "veryimportant" for Houston's future.
[ If "somewhat" or "very important": ] It is "very important" for that transitsystem to have a rail component.
FIGURE 5: ATTITUDES TOWARD POPULATION GROWTH AND URBAN PLANNING (2007-2009)
19.7
76.1
69.8
82.8 82.7
50.3
15.2
22.4
10.5 10.6
30.0
8.7 7.8 6.7 6.7
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
Will an additional millionresidents make living
conditions better, worse, orhave no clear effect? (2007)
Which is the best way forHarris County to
accommodate growth duringthe next 20 years? (2008)
Need better land-use planningto guide growth; or leave
people free to build whereverthey want? (2007)
Would you favor or opposecreating a General Plan to
guide Houston's futuregrowth? (2007)
Would you favor or opposecreating a General Plan to
guide Houston's futuregrowth? (2009)
Per
cen
t o
f R
esp
on
den
ts
Worse
No effect
Redevelop older areas.
Build on edge of suburbs.
No opinion
Better land- use planning.
Free to buildwherever.
Favor. Favor.
Oppose.
No opinion.
Noopinion.
Oppose.
Noopinion.
CONCLUSIONS: THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE NEW CENTURY
This city and nation will need to nurture a far more educated workforce, and fashion policies that can reduce the growing inequalities and prevent the rise of a new urban underclass.
To attract the most innovative companies and talented indi- viduals, Houston will need to grow into a more environmen- tally appealing urban destination, and develop the research centers that will fuel the critical drivers of the new economy.
If the region is to flourish in the 21st century, it will need to develop into a much more unified and inclusive multiethnic society, one in which equality of opportunity is truly made available to all citizens and all of its communities are invited to participate as full partners in shaping the Houston future.
The “Urban Research Center of Houston” at Rice University[Tag line: Turning Research into Reality.]Professor Stephen L. Klineberg, Director713-348-3484 or [email protected]
Contact Rice University (at: [email protected]; or call713-348-4225) for copies of the following publications: * the report on 24 years of Houston surveys (Public Perceptions in Remarkable Times, 2005) * the report on surveys in the six major sectors of thegreater Houston area (Regional Perspectives, 2007)
For further information, please visit the Center Web sites, at: www.houstonareasurvey.org or www.urc.rice.edu
CONTACT INFORMATION
