Urban Edge

Sharp insights. Smart solutions. Better cities.

Fewer babies, migrating families: The demographic trends reshaping Houston’s public schools

A new Kinder Institute analysis provides fresh perspective on how birth and household movement trends are impacting school enrollment across Houston.

Houston’s population keeps growing, but new Census data reveals notable shifts

While the metro area's population continues to climb, particularly in the suburbs, domestic migration patterns are changing how growth is distributed.

40% of Houston households are food-insecure. These key actions will help close the gap.

Deeper investment, clearer roles and community collaboration are needed, the Kinder Institute’s Luz Maria Garcini writes.

Houston’s build-to-rent market keeps growing. Will federal legislation bring it down?

Houston’s small but fast-growing build-to-rent segment — in which companies construct new single-family homes and townhouses specifically to lease them — faces a major threat from federal legislation that would force most developers to sell their new properties.

Anti-Asian discrimination persists in Houston, survey data shows

A Kinder Institute survey found 40% of Houston-area Asian residents had recently been victims or known victims of discrimination.

How Texas plans to tie school accountability grades to college success, job wages

Texas plans to weight postsecondary readiness metrics in its academic accountability system starting in 2031, with the goal of getting more students on track to college and career success.

Public attitudes are shifting as Houstonians reckon with the personal impact of mass deportation policy

A new Kinder Institute for Urban Research survey shows that 1 in 7 residents know someone who was detained and potentially deported, with the rate rising to more than 1 in 4 in some neighborhoods.

An average life expectancy of 80? This Rice researcher says a ‘universal basic neighborhood’ can make it happen.

Kinder Institute co-founder Michael Emerson argues minimum neighborhood standards can boost life expectancy.

How new FEMA flood maps will — and won’t — impact insurance costs across Harris County

Hundreds of thousands of Harris County residents would move into higher-risk flood zones under a proposed update to federal maps — but only some residents would see insurance hikes as a result.

800 school districts, $1 billion paid: How Texas’ teacher pay-for-performance has rapidly grown

About two-thirds of Texas school districts have now joined the Teacher Incentive Allotment, including nearly all in Houston.