Understanding Houston

Month: November 2023

  • 5 Improvements to Understanding Houston

    5 Improvements to Understanding Houston

    Since its launch in 2019, we have been asking how we can improve Understanding Houston — not only the site, but also the overall initiative: How can the site be easier to navigate? How can the site help you quickly find what you are looking for? How can our events be more engaging or useful? What else do you want to see from Understanding Houston?

    In search of answers, we conducted three Data Dives, two Visioning Labs, dozens of post-event evaluations, hundreds of conversations, and a biennial survey.

    Through this discovery, we heard that the site was not intuitive to navigate; few people were aware of our blog page; the site was not fully accessible; and users wanted more background and context with which to interpret the data but also fewer indicators. (We also heard that Understanding Houston presents data in compelling, interactive visuals; provides analysis in clear, accessible language, and is aesthetically pleasing.)

    Throughout 2023 we have been working with our incredible partner, Baal & Spots, to build and enhance UnderstandingHouston.org, and we are thrilled to finally reveal the refreshed website!

    Here are five ways Understanding Houston has improved, informed by your feedback and suggestions.

    1. Popups and Navigation

    Each time you open Understanding Houston in a new browser, little popups will take you on a quick tour of the homepage (if you do not want to see them again, select the appropriate box). The popups will guide you through the homepage, the new navigation, the new “Explore the Data” button, the blog page, and more.

    Additionally, the navigation headers have been renamed and reordered for clarity. The “Explore the Data” button now appears first. We have also made it easier to learn who we are, what we do, and how to get involved by registering for events or subscribing to the newsletter. Finally, the blog page is now called “Articles & Reports,” the search bar is more prominent, and it is easier to find information on upcoming and past events, including presentations and photos through drop-down menus.

    2. Explore the Data

    We are proud to host a new Explore the Data page that presents all topics and subtopics in one place for convenience. From this page, simply click on the  cover photo or topic name to visit one of the nine topic-level pages and read the summary report. Users can also view all subtopics to directly find what you are looking for or to get a sense of how the data are organized. In this update, we refined the 300+ indicators to about 200 based on feedback and use and combined and refined subtopic pages — the result of which can be seen in this one high-level page.

    3. Enhanced Blog

    The blog page formerly known as “Community Voices” has been renamed “Articles & Reports.” The articles can be filtered by one of the nine topics by selecting the issue in the drop-down menu. With over 80 articles to choose from, we know there is a lot to explore. To help focus, the top five most read articles will appear in a carousel format, with all articles in reverse chronological order below, denoted by the “Most Recent” header. Scroll down the page to load more articles or use the search tool in the upper right corner to find one you are looking for.

    4. Improved Accessibility

    We are proud to share that Understanding Houston is more accessible now. We have tweaked our color combinations and fonts to ensure that all users can fully enjoy and utilize the website. Screen readers can read each page’s content, including charts, and we are working to complete adding alt text to all relevant images.

    5. More background, context and analysis

    You asked for more historical background, situational context, and deeper analysis from Understanding Houston, and we aimed to deliver! Throughout the site you will find deeper dives and more holistic analysis of outcomes across indicator, and we disaggregated more data by race/ethnicity, gender, and income where possible. For example, we took a deep dive into the racial characteristics of poverty, analyzed housing cost trends before and after the pandemic, dissected disparate outcomes in maternal and child health, and more.

    Approaching our Fifth Anniversary

    We have made significant updates to the website, but many parts of the site you love have not changed. You have always been able to interact with the charts on the website and download them for use. Users can still change views by filtering the data in the legend or selecting different buttons or drop-downs in the top right corners. And, you can still jump to the indicator of interest by selecting it under “The Data” header on the left of each subtopic page.

    As we move toward our fifth anniversary in November 2024, we will continue to improve, following your suggestions and input. Understanding Houston’s second biennial Impact Survey is now live! We encourage all users and visitors to complete the 10-minute survey for a chance to win a $1,000 donation to your favorite  local nonprofit. We will continue to update the site with the most recent data and to convey the initiative’s next phase of work.

    Once again, we extend our deepest gratitude to and appreciation for Baal & Spots who has been an incredibly talented and supportive partner to us since Understanding Houston’s inception.

    Happy Exploring!

  • Honoring Veterans: Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Heroes

    Honoring Veterans: Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Heroes

    Every November 11th, cities, towns, and communities across our country come together to pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served in the armed forces. Veterans Day is a solemn occasion, a day when we pause to reflect on the sacrifices made by our military personnel and express our gratitude for their unwavering dedication to protecting our freedoms.

    At its core, Veterans Day is a reminder of the profound debt of gratitude we owe to those who have served in our country’s defense. It’s a day to acknowledge the immense sacrifices that veterans have made for the greater good. These sacrifices extend far beyond the battlefields; they encompass time spent away from loved ones, physical and mental challenges, and the burden of carrying the responsibility for the nation’s security.

    The essence of Veterans Day

    One of the most important aspects of Veterans Day is the opportunity it provides for Americans to connect with veterans and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. Through conversations, events, and ceremonies, Americans can hear firsthand accounts of the challenges veterans faced and the resilience displayed in the vein of defending the greatest country in the world. These stories remind us that freedom is not free; it has been safeguarded through the courage and valor of our veterans.

    Nearly 220,000 veterans live in Houston’s three-county region. About 7% of Montgomery County’ population are veterans — the largest proportion of veterans in the region, compared to 4% in Fort Bend and Harris counties. On average, men, Black, and white people are most likely to be veterans.

    Veterans Day also serves as a reminder that even after a soldier, marine or airman takes off the uniform there are a litany of ongoing challenges that veterans may encounter upon returning to civilian life. Transitioning from military service to civilian life can be daunting, and many veterans face difficulties such as finding employment, accessing healthcare, or coping with post-traumatic stress.

    According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 29% of veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in life, though these statistics are likely underreported since many returning veterans may not report PTSD symptoms or may not be screened at all. By recognizing and supporting our veterans, we can work together to address these complex challenges and ensure Veterans receive the care and opportunities they deserve.

    Veterans Day is also an opportunity to extend our gratitude and support to the families who play an integral role in supporting and encouraging our military community. It is important to remember that no veteran serves alone. Spouses, children, and parents of veterans have also made sacrifices — enduring long deployments and the anxiety of worrying about their loved one’s safety — and they often have to endure PTSD or other mental health battles alongside their loved one.

    Yet, despite these challenges, there is also great honor in their sacrifice. Being in the army taught me that a kid from a small town who is willing to raise his hand and take the oath to defend and protect our country would not only learn about military tactics, see the world, and be a part of experiences that are not possible as a civilian, but that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. The leadership, problem-solving skills, resilience, and team-building skills I gained through my service were life-changing. There is no doubt that the military is not for everyone, and the voluntary military system is a great one but, in FY 2022 the Army missed its recruiting goal by 25% (~15,000 active-duty soldiers), and as a society, we should carry some of the responsibility for this staggering number.

    A society united in respect

    Imagine a country in which veterans were put on a pedestal like professional athletes or looked up to and idolized like movie stars and musicians. Imagine what might happen to a 16 or 17-year-old who is trying to figure out what to do when she turns 18, so she looks to Brig. Gen. Smith in the Space Force as a hero and decides on a career as an Intelligence Analyst. Imagine a kid who is about to graduate high school but has no idea what his purpose in life is but decides to don the uniform of this country. Imagine not only what these choices would do for those individuals but also what might happen if the men and women of our armed forces were viewed as “influencers” and how that might re-center our societal priorities to “Be all you can be.”

    While I am an optimist at heart, even I know a complete re-prioritization of values is nothing that can happen overnight, and a societal shift of putting the men and women who bravely defend our way of life in the same day-to-day conversations as celebrities and professional athletes is unlikely.

    But this is H-Town. As the fourth largest city in America, Houston, we may have a problem, but we have influence. We have the ability to make changes so that Veterans Day can extend beyond November 11th.

    This does not mean more parades or showering veterans with gifts or handouts, frankly most veterans (me included) would be adamantly opposed to this type of thing. What I’m talking about is making a conscious effort to learn about what our men and women in uniform do for this country and share that knowledge into normal day-to-day conversations (and social media posts!) with our friends, family members, work colleagues, and children. This is a powerful way in which we can all act individually and collectively to shape the future and honor the sacrifices made by our nation’s veterans and active-duty service members.

    Leading by example

    So, on this Veterans Day, attend the parades, thank those veterans you know for their service, and come together in your community to recognize the courage, sacrifice, and dedication of our veterans. But as Houstonians, let us make a commitment to find our own individual ways to elevate the sacrifices made for this country into the other 364 days of the year. This is Space City — anything is possible.