An economist makes the case for school integration
URBAN EDGE : October 20, 2020
Contrary to popular opinion, efforts to integrate schools in the 1970s and 1980s were overwhelmingly successful, says economist Rucker C. Johnson. Johnson argues that we must renew our commitment to integration for the sake of all Americans.
Let’s fund parks like the essential infrastructure they are
URBAN EDGE : October 16, 2020
Great public spaces are equitable places that bring people who are not the same together. Cities need to think bigger when it comes to funding parks, trails, libraries and other civic assets because the return on investment can be huge.
We’ll overcome COVID-19, but can we overcome 400 years of wrongs?
URBAN EDGE : September 22, 2020
There has been a lot of discussion and speculation about the future of cities and how they will change following the pandemic. What will that future look like for Black Americans, who have been abused, exploited, ground down and lied to in the past? As we move into the future, what will change? And what will stay the same?
Residential segregation rewards whites while punishing people of color
URBAN EDGE : September 21, 2020
From 1980 to 2015, homes in white neighborhoods increased in value, on average, $194,000 more than in neighborhoods of color, according to new research. And the rate of the gap in assessed values of these comparable homes in comparable neighborhoods is getting larger over time.
Many in Harris County find themselves living farther and farther from jobs
URBAN EDGE : August 11, 2020
For the average Harris County household, the combined costs of housing and transportation are at the edge of affordability. Add to that the growing distance between home locations and jobs, and the costs quickly can become unsustainable, particularly for lower-income households.
Why does it take so long to vote?
URBAN EDGE : July 13, 2020
Overall, waiting times may be improving — but long waits are still common in Black communities. As the percentage of nonwhite voters in a precinct increases, so do wait times.
Settegast: A case study in endemic racism within Houston’s housing system
URBAN EDGE : July 2, 2020
In the past month, new and greater focus has been placed on the need to address economic, environmental, educational and health care inequalities related to race in the U.S. For many years, systemic racism has limited access to housing as well. Here, we take a look at findings from the Kinder Institute’s State of Housing report in the context of Settegast, a historically Black neighborhood in northeast Houston.
As rents and home prices go up, once-affordable Houston grows less accessible
URBAN EDGE : June 23, 2020
Dozens of key housing indicators in Houston and Harris County shifted between 2010 and 2018, and in just the past several months the area has been hit by parallel economic and public health crises that have slowed home sales, disrupted the rental market and halted new development, making it even more difficult for many area residents to find affordable housing.
Protests, public space and the remaking of cities
URBAN EDGE : June 15, 2020
Highways that divide neighborhoods, crumbling local streets, poorly maintained public spaces and proximity to unhealthy industrial sites — impact black and brown communities far more than wealthier, predominately white neighborhoods. These inherent inequalities in the nation’s infrastructure systems are problems that arise from decades of racial inequality and disinvestment.