Urban Edge

Sharp insights. Smart solutions. Better cities.

School vouchers, slowing growth and food insecurity: What Kinder Institute researchers are watching in Houston in 2026

The new year will bring big changes to key education, health and housing policies that shape the city.

Urban Edge’s most-read stories in 2025: Public housing, population growth articles top the list

These seven Urban Edge articles garnered the most reader interest in a busy year for Houston.

Houston’s poorest neighborhoods are still drowning in illegally dumped trash — even after federal intervention

Federal oversight brought more eyes and dollars to Houston’s persistent illegal dumping problem, but city data suggests trash continues to pile up across the city.

Houston mothers and children face high rates of food insecurity. We’re working on a plan to help.

Three local nonprofits and area mothers are joining to develop plans for curbing food-access issues for families, with some early lessons already gleaned.

A decade of stagnation: New data reveals Houston’s trouble getting some youth into school, workforce

Houston prides itself on being a city of opportunity, but many young adults have seen little change to their prospects over the past decade.

Houston’s committee for enforcing apartment standards sits dormant. Will City Council revive it?

On a typical day in Houston, the city’s 311 helpline receives roughly 10 complaints about busted pipes, broken heaters, stinky sewage and other predicaments plaguing apartments.

1 in 5 Texas students are still missing lots of school — and attendance isn’t getting much better

Roughly 20% of Texas public school students were chronically absent in 2023-24, new data shows, a marginal decline from the prior year and well above than pre-pandemic levels.

Shoddy AC, pesky cockroaches, thin insulation: Study gives early insight into common Houston housing issues

Houston’s housing problems aren’t limited to affordability and vulnerability to storms. 

Despite glut of existing homes for sale, Houston leads nation in new-home permitting

For-sale signs are dotting Houston neighborhoods, but real estate developers are still filing permits, pouring concrete and acquiring land for new projects.

Who are Harris County’s unauthorized immigrants? These charts detail their diverse backgrounds.

New estimates from the Migration Policy Institute shed light on Harris County’s 600,000-plus unauthorized immigrants.