Research Projects Solar Water Farms in Kenya Global water scarcity is growing, with 844 million people lacking access to safe drinking water. Kenya operates within a decentralized water market where county governments license water service providers and multiple vendors operate in local markets. This results in water options where price and quality vary significantly. This project examines the impact of Solar Water Farms (SWF) at the community level in Kenya, focusing on their effects on water access, quality, cost, and health outcomes. A comparison of towns with and without SWF infrastructure helps us to understand the direct effects of improved water infrastructure (cost, health outcomes) and potential socio-technical implications (changes in time use, distance traveled, and gender dynamics). Our work contributes to understanding how technological transitions in water infrastructure affect community resilience and adaptation to water insecurity. Pathways of water quality, cost, and uses in Kenya. NASA-funded ATX Climate Atlas Along with an interdisciplinary team of UT researchers, City of Austin Office of Resilience staff, and Go Austin Vamos Austin, the SSPG research group lead the development of an ATX Climate Atlas funded by NASA’s Equity and Environmental Justice Program. ATX Climate Atlas News and Press Release NPR Radio Story on Climate Atlas Austin Area Sustainability Indicators (A2SI) At the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators (A2SI), we aim to measure quality of life, sustainability trends, and serve as the foundation for a systems approach to address challenges in Central Texas. We operationalize our mission by Collecting, Connecting, Catalyzing. Collecting primary and secondary data, analyzing it, and reporting it are the foundational tasks of the project. Connecting by ensuring that the data that is collected and reported is in service of the community. This includes the dissemination of the results to a wide range of stakeholders and community members. The result is catalyzing action by different segments of the community. This action can take many forms, but generally reflects how philanthropy, non-profits, government, and community can use data to improve decision-making and policy design. See our research page on our website for more information about our A2SI projects. 2025 Report | Website Texas Flood Social Vulnerability Index (TX F-SVI) The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and other agencies use Social Vulnerability Indices (SVIs) for a variety of management purposes such as flood planning and flood mitigation funding. There are two widely available sources of SVIs: 1) the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) from the Hazards and Vulnerability Institute at the University of South Carolina and the 2) the SVI created by the Centers for Disease Control. Although existing SVIs have a wide range of applicable uses, they are neither customized for flood hazard, nor for Texas. This project developed a flood-specific SVI (TX F-SVI) for Texas that considers parameters applicable and relevant to flooding to guide prioritization for flood planning and funding efforts. Partners: Dr. Paola Passalacqua (Cockrell School of Engineering, UT Austin), Dr. Eric Tate (School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University) Networks for Hazard Preparedness and Response Along with Dr. Paola Passalacqua in Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Dr. Bixler co-leads a Planet Texas 2050 Flagship project called Networks for Hazard Preparedness and Response. Texas is uniquely positioned for increasing exposure to a wide range of climate-driven natural hazards. Leading the way is expensive and deadly catastrophic flooding from hurricanes, storm surges, and extreme rain events. Making Texas resilient requires innovative ways to understand interacting natural, technical, and social processes that natural disasters intersect so that our communities can prepare and respond to increasing threats. Our flagship is driving scientific discovery through novel network science approaches to integrated modeling and transform the way we govern disaster risk and response. Website Other Planet Texas 2050 supported project include: Texas Metro Observatory, Texas Environmental NGOs Past Research Projects Texas Water Governance In partnership with the Texas Water Foundation and with support from the Mitchell Foundation, we are mapping the Texas Water Governance System. Interact with Texas Water institutions and policy mechanisms here. Extreme Heat in Austin Our research group is working with UT-Health, the Jackson School of Geosciences, and Go Austin, Vamos Austin (GAVA) to understand and mitigate the impacts of extreme heat on Austin’s more vulnerable populations. With funding and support from NOAA’s Extreme Heat Risk Initiative, we are working to assess risk, risk perception, and community engagement strategies to better prepare Austin residents. Austin Heat Resilience Playbook
