Urban Edge

Insights, perspectives and stories about building better cities and better lives

Research Over Coffee: What New Orleans Schools Learned After Katrina

The dramatic overhaul of its school system provides a unique experiment on school reform.

Transportation Pods, a Concrete River, and the Swimming Pool Legacy: Urban Insights From Around the Web

A new feature highlighting the week’s interesting, important and downright weird news about cities.

Phil Washington Championed Public-Private Partnerships in Denver. Will it Work in L.A.?

Metro’s new transit chief faces the daunting task of building 100 miles of transit. Lucky for Angelinos, he’s done it before.

Bike Battles: Why We Debate Who Owns the Road

A new book explains the fascinating history of American bicyclists and makes the case for why that history still matters.

To See If METRO’s Bus Overhaul Works, I Rode It With a 1-Year-Old

A family outing to Buffalo Bayou reveals exactly how Houston’s revamped bus network is paying off.

American Political Participation is Down (Except Among Black People)

The bigger question is whether their momentum carries over into 2016.

Watts at 50; Rising Rent; and the Tiff About Toilets: Urban Insights From Around the Web

A new feature highlighting the week’s interesting, important and downright weird news about cities.

To Understand Houston's New Bus Network, Just Look at the 27 Route

The 27 route runs every 15 minutes, every day, for 19 hours a day. Similar routes will help make transit more viable option for Houstonians.

What A Poll Of Mayors Reveals About The Uneven Economic Recovery

Businesses are expanding and property values are rising. But demand for food, shelter, and affordable housing is increasing too. What does that disconnect mean for American cities?

Drowning in Data, Cities Need Help

For most of human history, urban planners have had to do their jobs with only the dimmest understanding of what’s going on. Now they have more information than they can handle.