How Houston can become a 15-minute city
What does cancer treatment have to do with fighting climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and neighborhood-level urban planning? Taking preventive steps today can literally save us all tomorrow.
There are only 19 prosperous majority-Black ZIP codes in the US. The Houston area is home to two
A shocking 70% of the nation’s 1,036 majority-Black ZIP codes are considered “distressed,” while only 19 — 1.8% — rank as “prosperous,” according to one analysis. Two of those prosperous ZIP codes are in Fort Bend County.
Is Houston still one of the most generous cities in the US?
With a rich history as a philanthropic city, Houston has a reputation as one of the nation’s most charitable metros. However, a recent ranking doesn’t find the city to be quite so generous.
Unflashy but effective ways to slow traffic and save lives
Pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 38% of all roadway deaths in Houston in 2019 — a 3% increase from 2018. Overall, 647 people were killed in fatal crashes in the Houston area in 2019, according to NHTSA data released in December. Prioritizing speed on local roads is the dangerous status quo in the U.S., but many cities are taking action to try and make safety the priority.
How will COVID-19 alter today’s house of tomorrow?
In 2020, many American companies and their employees embraced working from home, and polls show the majority of workers want to continue the arrangement after the pandemic is over. With so many spending much more time at home, what design trends will benefit workers, households and individuals the most?
Here are the 10 most-viewed — and some of the most-engaging — Urban Edge stories of the year, as well as a look at how the Kinder Institute and its researchers are providing the insight needed to solve cities’ equity problems.
Hindsight in 2020: Some of the things that helped us cope
The year in review or the year in the rearview mirror? In 2020, we’ve seen a once-a-century pandemic amplify and exacerbate many of America’s long-existing disparities. We’ve also seen life-affirming kindness, dedication and sacrifice from so many fighting the effects of COVID-19 on a number of fronts. Here are some of the simple things that helped sustain us during the coronavirus crisis.
Buoyed by a suburban shift, the pandemic housing market continues to soar
In the Houston area and affordable metros and small- and mid-size cities across the U.S., sales of single-family homes are on pace to hit record highs. How much of the boom can be attributed to the COVID-19 crisis?
With added e-bikes, Houston bike share charges forward with expansion
BCycle rolls out the first batch of its electric bikes, which could help riders go farther and choose to bike more often. The boost from the e-bikes, along with plans to install more docking stations, should extend the network’s reach and improve access to biking for many in the city.
To improve transit equity in Houston, improve local bus service in these 3 high-demand areas
According to LINK Houston’s “Equity in Transit: 2020” report, roughly 867,000 Houston residents live in areas warranting more affordable transportation options for people who walk, bike and ride public transit. Transit plays a central role in connecting people to jobs, education, health care and many other opportunities.
Large retailers’ pandemic earnings continue to soar long after hazard pay ends
The nation’s biggest retailers have seen profits and stock prices surge alongside COVID-19, but compensation for low-wage front-line workers hasn’t had the same relative rise. In Houston, Kroger and the union representing its workers remain at odds over a new contract and a return of hazard pay.
Want transportation equity? Be an accomplice, not an ally
Tamika L. Butler loves biking, transit and transportation, and she advocates for all three because she cares about her family and wants to build a better world for them. That’s why, when talking about transportation, planning and the built environment — especially now, when transit agencies are considering drastic cuts because of the pandemic — she always talks about race.
Study: Pandemic relief for small businesses did its job, but more stimulus likely needed
New research indicates federal and local COVID-19 relief programs were effective in helping to buoy small businesses with injections of cash earlier in the pandemic. And as the pandemic drags on, additional action may be necessary.
America is more diverse than ever, but diversity doesn’t equal equality
In the time since the Immigration and Nationality Act was signed in 1965, the demographics of Houston have changed dramatically. In 1980, the city was 55% white, 28% Black and 17% Hispanic. Today, the population is 25% white, 22% Black, around 7% Asian and nearly 45% Hispanic. Despite Houston’s high level of diversity, the city’s neighborhoods are segregated to a large degree.
Map of Houston area’s distressed and prosperous ZIP codes shows ongoing and growing inequality
Where you live determines to a great extent how much access you have to quality education, health care, housing, public services and more. More access correlates to better outcomes in life. One-third of the Black population and almost one-third of the Hispanic population of Texas live in an economically distressed community. The populations of the Houston area’s distressed ZIP codes predominantly are people of color.
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