Urban Edge

Sharp insights. Smart solutions. Better cities.

State takeovers of school districts do not work. But there is something else that might

This week, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner warned that the state of Texas intends to take over Houston Independent School District as early as next week. As researchers who study education — and particularly education in Houston — we were asked: What would that mean for students?

When it comes to education outcomes, we get what we pay for

A lack of investment in education is holding back students in Houston and Texas, particularly those experiencing socioeconomic challenges, Kinder Institute Director Ruth N. López Turley said on Tuesday.

To become the city the future needs it to be, Houston must invest in its people more than ever before

When my family and I moved here from the East Coast in the early 1970s, Houston was a booming oil-based metropolis, riding the key resource of the industrial age to continuing prosperity. It was also world-famous for having imposed the fewest restrictions on development of any large American city. This was the undisputed energy capital of the world, the “Golden Buckle of the Sun Belt,” the bastion of classical laissez-faire capitalism, the epitome of “free enterprise” America — a city to be built almost entirely by developers’ decisions.

Public school enrollment is facing a 'demographic bubble.' Urban districts are already seeing its effects

As part of a wide range of testimony before the state Senate finance committee, education commissioner Mike Morath told lawmakers that Texas is entering a new demographic era for public school enrollment.

Houston metro may have set a housing permit record in 2022, but affordability remains elusive

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed a surge in residential building permits issued in the Houston metropolitan statistical area in 2022, with an estimated total of 75,786. The preliminary numbers place the Houston metro at No. 2 in the country behind Dallas and would be an all-time record, according to Federal Reserve records dating back to 1988. Even with potential increases in supply and continued development, affordability remains a big challenge for renters and would-be homeowners.

In national survey, mayors say real climate change progress may fall on their residents

Mayors on both sides of the political aisle have a range of worries on climate change, and found common ground regarding potential solutions in a recent poll by the Boston University Initiative on Cities. While the majority of top city leaders want investment in environmentally friendly municipal vehicles, they also believe that if meaningful climate change progress is to happen, the onus is on “residents to make real sacrifices.”

New research is helping Houston get its arms around the needs of students and families

Recent findings by the Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium indicate that mental health services, food and housing are among the greatest non-instructional needs for students in the Houston Independent School District. HERC, HISD and local partners are looking to find more ways to bridge resources within the community to meet these needs.

How a former landfill could help fight floods and reimagine a swath of southwest Houston

A proposal to transform a former landfill in southwest Houston into a mixed-use development with a flood control component recently caught the attention of statewide planners who recognized it for its contributions to resilience.

Fort Bend County found to be among the nation’s most prosperous for immigrants

In the past decade, immigrant populations fueled immense population growth in cities and suburbs in particular, according to a new report by the George W. Bush Institute. In the Houston metropolitan area, the report finds that immigrants are thriving best in Fort Bend County, ranked No. 8 in the country, and Brazoria County, ranked No. 15. Harris County was ranked No. 99.

Historic Tamina community’s $21 million water deal comes at another cost

James Leveston has been fighting for more than 20 years to bring basic public services to the Montgomery County community of Tamina, where he’s lived for most of his life. Late last year, he went door to door asking his neighbors if they would support a deal with the nearby city of Shenandoah to provide water and sewer service. About 150 of the 190 affected households agreed, he said.