In the past, the influx of Californians to Texas has fluctuated from year to year. However, since 2018, the West Coast migration has remained high. Why is that? (Hint: It’s not oil prices.)
In 2020, the City of Houston and regional stakeholders cemented a resilience strategy and a climate action plan, which were adapted to reflect COVID-19’s impact on urban life. The Kinder Institute has gathered information and updates on the progress made in the first year of these efforts in one place.
Like many resources in Houston, access to the COVID-19 vaccine is concentrated on the west side of the city, while the greatest need and impact of the disease is concentrated among the residents on the east side.
Shifts in travel habits because of the pandemic, including less driving and more active transportation, drove the metro’s improved ranking among the most climate-friendly areas in the U.S.
This report identifies infrastructure priorities identified by local and regional leaders around the nation. Conclusions provide an important set of guideposts about priorities the new administration should take into account in crafting a national infrastructure strategy.
A major, federally led infrastructure strategy is vital to meeting the nation’s challenges. A new Kinder Institute report shows that to be truly responsive to the needs of America’s cities and regions, a bottom-up consultation process with regional and local leaders and a focus on three priorities will be necessary.
We couldn’t help but notice that the suburb north of Dallas consistently ranks high on many of those “best cities for (fill in the blank)” lists we see so often. What is Plano’s secret?
Since 1983, the innovative SPARK parks program has taken a multi-use, community-based approach to increasing park acreage by turning school playgrounds into community parks. The effort has helped put many Houstonians within walking distance of active green space.
Making the cities of tomorrow more resilient to pandemics and other threats won’t require completely rethinking planning and design as we know them, but it will require functional problem-solving, practical solutions, better data mining and analysis, and more flexibility. All of which have helped the beloved grocery store chain improve its bottom line during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A recently released traffic index shows the dramatic effect remote work and stay-at-home orders had on congestion levels in more than 400 cities around the world, including 80 in the U.S. Houston saw 33% less traffic in 2020 than in 2019, and the congestion level dropped from 24% to 16%. But as the COVID-19 vaccine is more widely distributed and driving habits move toward pre-pandemic levels, the declines are expected to disappear.
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.
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.
Houston ranks third in the nation for eviction filings since the COVID-19 pandemic began. What can local officials learn from the steps taken by cities such as Austin to help keep residents housed during this unprecedented public health and economic crisis?
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.