As the devastating COVID-19 pandemic slowly dissipates, the 2021 Kinder Houston Area Survey results reflect the disproportionate impact it had on Hispanics and African Americans in the Houston area. This year’s survey also shows positive ratings for the economy and changes in attitudes about racial injustice and discrimination against Black residents.
Lessons from the garden city and one planner’s plot to escape London
Ebenezer Howard wanted an antidote to London — a dark, fetid place with social inequities, toxic air and water, overcrowding and rampant infectious disease. So, he decided to experiment with combining town and country.
Economic recovery from the pandemic requires returning women to jobs with equal pay
America is facing an unprecedented exodus of women from the workforce. The hard-fought gains women have made over the past 40 years are at risk of being wiped out by the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 devastated public transit, and underscored how indispensable it is
Ridership and revenues plummeted during the pandemic, but transit service remained essential for many frontline workers. After the pandemic, it’s important that the lessons learned are used to create better, more equitable transit networks.
Pandemic POV: I got back on the bus this week — and it was fine
A longtime public transit rider describes what it was like to use Metro again for the first time in more than a year.
Coming out of the pandemic, how can cities counter 2020’s sharp rise in homicides?
Among 34 large cities studied, homicide rates increased almost 30% last year, compared to 2019. Reasons for the shocking spike relate in large part to the pandemic and its societal impacts, but the killing of George Floyd may have been a contributing factor as well. Evidence-based approaches and committed elected officials will be key to reducing violent crime in American cities going forward.
How to lessen the long-term educational — and economic — consequences of the pandemic
If action isn’t taken now to address and counter the disruptions in the education of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, the damage will be long-lasting and disproportionate. Here are some ways to deal with the impact.
‘Slow streets’ may have been rolled out too fast in Houston
Despite good intentions, the city’s three-month “slow streets” experiment in Eastwood may have been undone by efforts to react quickly to the circumstances of the pandemic. But the lessons learned could improve the initiative going forward.
Urban gardening has taken root, and it’s time for cities to encourage new growth
For many, the pandemic has been a time of self-reflection and reassessing how and why we spend our days doing what we do and the quality of our lives. That includes what we eat and where it comes from, which has led to a renewed interest in urban gardens. How can cities rethink the use of land and shared spaces in ways that promote gardening and help residents reap the rewards?
COVID-19 Pandemic in the Houston Region (Parts 1-3)
This three-report series focuses on the impact of the pandemic on families's well-being, employment, education and more.
How stay-at-home orders added to the homelife stress of many Houstonians
COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the lives of low-income families living in homes that were in need of repairs even before the pandemic. A pilot study involving 16 Fifth Ward households was launched to better understand how stay-at-home stress affected underserved residents both during and after the “Stay Home, Work Safe” order in Harris County.
45% of Houston families couldn’t make ends meet — then COVID-19 made things worse
A new report shows most local economies aren’t delivering enough high-quality jobs to support the cost of raising a family. As cities across the nation work to recover from a recession that has worsened the preexisting challenge of struggling families, how can more jobs be created or upgraded to pay a family-sustaining wage?
America needs more police — just a different kind
In the 10 months since the killing of George Floyd, has policing in America changed at all? We need to rethink what it means to protect and serve the well-being of citizens.
3 ways the city can help Houstonians better prepare for the next pileup of disasters
With more extreme weather events and disasters in our future, we need to change how our city prepares for these shocks and their long-lasting impacts so that Houstonians will take disaster preparedness more seriously.
6 post-pandemic predictions about how cities will be different going forward
As access to the COVID-19 vaccination becomes increasingly widespread, it seems possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what’s next for cities? Here are six ways cities will be different — from Zoomburbs and public transit to the fate of retail and housing — in the years to come.
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