Vibrant communities are key to a city's vitality but economic investment can take many forms with an array of consequences.

Latest Urban Edge Stories

Black neighborhoods have led the Houston area’s surge in start-ups during the pandemic

Economists studying the dramatic growth of new business activity found that the proportion of Black residents in a ZIP code had the greatest impact on the rate of increase and that business formation coincided with the stimulus payments.

News Story
: Jun 18, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Demographics, Economic Development

The return to work will determine the fate of downtowns. Is Houston ready for what’s next?

Central Houston President Bob Eury has been tracking COVID-19 case counts since the early days of the pandemic and has the spreadsheet to prove it. It was a ritual that he says helped him stay on top of the virus and how far off “normal” might be. But there may be one number he is tracking even more closely: how many of downtown’s estimated 168,000 workers are returning to the office. 

Houston Downtown Skyline Night
Interview
: Jun 10, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Economic Development, Placemaking

Where are we going? Remote workers, RVs and the new calculus of where we live and why

After COVID-19 lockdowns and stay-at-home mandates, anywhere with fast broadband became a viable place to call home. But for Houston natives Alex Jimenez and Haley McSwain, the choice was to move—and keep moving.

RV on the road
Urban Edge: Jun 7, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Demographics, Economic Development, Sun Belt

Latest Research

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2021 Results

For the past four decades, Rice University’s Kinder Houston Area Survey (KHAS) has been tracking the changing attitudes and beliefs of Harris County residents. The 2021 survey summarizes the most consequential changes and their implications for public policy initiatives going forward. It also explores in what specific ways and to what measurable extent have residents been personally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic shutdown and growing awareness of systemic racism.
Report: May 11, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Demographics, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey, Immigration, Placemaking, Transportation

A Bottom-Up Infrastructure Strategy for American Renewal

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.
Report: Feb 10, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning

The Urban Sun Belt: An Overview

This report documents the unique set of urban challenges Sun Belt Cities face.
Report: Jun 11, 2020
Demographics, Economic Development, Governance, Sun Belt, Urban Planning

Experts

Head shot of Han Park

John Park

  • Senior Research Fellow, Development, Transportation and Placemaking, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
713-348-8127
Profile
Bill Fulton

William Fulton

  • Director, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
  • Research Oversight Committee, Urban Data Platform
  • Publisher, Urban Edge Blog
713-348-2698
Profile

Related Initiatives

Community Bridges

A year-long, experiential learning program for undergraduate students designed to help alleviate poverty and inequality in Greater Houston.

Urban Development, Transportation and Placemaking

The Urban Development, Transportation and Placemaking program investigates issues associated with the growth and development in Houston on both a large and small scale.