R. Patrick Bixler
Assistant Professor
Research Areas
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Environmental Governance
- Governing/Managing Public and Civic Affairs
Teaching Areas
- Environmental and Energy Policy
- Management and Leadership (including Nonprofits)
- Research and Empirical Methods
Dr. Patrick Bixler is an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a joint appointment in the Community and Regional Planning program in the School of Architecture. His interdisciplinary appointment contributes to the work of Planet Texas 2050 and he serves as a core faculty member of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service. His current research focuses on climate and environmental governance, urban sustainability and resilience, hazard preparedness and response, and network science. He is particularly interested in how public, private and nonprofit institutions collaborate to solve complex social and environmental problems and promote social innovation. Through his research and teaching he emphasizes the importance and impact of civic and community engagement.
Bixler co-leads a Planet Texas 2050 Flagship Project and leads the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators project, which won the 2020 Community Impact Award from the Community Indicator Consortium. His research has recently been published in Cities, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Environmental Science and Policy, Sustainability and Nonprofit Policy Forum.
In many ways, "public policy" world is as varied as the people who practice it. There is no one path to it; thinkers and doers pursue their passion for service for so many different reasons. The LBJ School was founded to improve the quality of public service in the United States and abroad at all levels of governance and civic engagement. We practice this through interdisciplinary scholarship, hands-on experience and a customizable educational experience that allows students to develop unique skills and expertise.
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RGK Center faculty and staff are collaborating with Texas Water Foundation to develop an interactive map of the Texas water systems landscape. The Texas Water Systems Map is the first comprehensive policy system map of the Texas water sector and will help equip decision-makers and stakeholders with the knowledge to better understand the complex water landscape at the state and local levels.
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The 87th Texas Legislature is currently underway in Austin and lawmakers are weighing thousands of bills, including many in response to February's deadly freeze. Are these reforms politically, economically or scientifically driven?
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