Houston and Harris County Urban Policy Center
| Initiative: | Houston and Harris County Urban Policy Center |
| University: | UH, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences |
| Focus: | Public Policy |
Home Department
Center for Public Policy (CPP), Political Science and Economics
Key Faculty
Professor Richard Murray, Professor Barton Smith
Program Description
The proposed center would study urban issues that affect the Greater Houston urban area. It would establish a local pool of expertise in the areas of air quality, transportation, water policy, education, and taxation. For too long, Houston has been dependent on outside experts, local interests, and the federal bureaucracy for analysis of public policy issues that impact the city. This program would establish an independent body of scholars to address these issues.
Priorities Addressed
Urban Mobility, Air Quality, Education, Flood Control, Homeland Security
Background and Qualifications
CPP already has faculty experts in the areas of the local economy, land use, and local politics. The Center for Regional Forecasting has expertise on the local tax base and air-quality issues.
Federal Agency
Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency
| Annual Budget | |
| Research Faculty | $500,000 |
| Administration | $100,000 |
|
Research Support (research assistants, tech support, equipment) |
$200,000 |
| Other M&O | $100,000 |
| TOTAL | $900,000 |
This proposal is for an entirely new center including research faculty that would be affiliated with the two departments and CPP. The research assistants would be graduate students and the research faculty would be nontenured or part-tenure track with some teaching in the departments. Pursuit of other federal funding and possible state and local government funding would be a priority.
