Mayors express uncertainty about inflation bill’s climate change efforts in national survey
URBAN EDGE : March 14, 2024
When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law on Aug. 16, 2022, the White House referred to it as “the most significant action Congress has taken on clean energy and climate change in the nation’s history.” But the majority of mayors said its impact has been marginal in a report conducted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities.
Election 2023 Survey
INITIATIVE : September 5, 2023
This report identifies the city's current challenges and opportunities and what issues residents would like to see the next mayor address.
Highways, flooding and sprawl: How Houston could have a bigger say in the region's future
URBAN EDGE : May 29, 2023
Back in 2021, the Houston region's governing council offered up a final resolution of support for the contentious I-45 expansion project. The measure passed 14-11, with suburban members narrowly outvoting those representing Houston and Harris County. The vote marked an episode of stark division and intense scrutiny for the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). It also raised questions about regional governance and how the Houston area’s urban and suburban populations should be represented.
In national survey, mayors say real climate change progress may fall on their residents
URBAN EDGE : February 2, 2023
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.”
Kinder Institute Forum: Scott Beyer
EVENT : May 26, 2022
Urban affairs journalist Scott Beyer shares how a free-market approach to housing, transportation, public administration and more can create more livable cities.
Harris County Winter Storm Uri Resilience Assessment
RESEARCH : February 23, 2022
This report provides a geographic analysis of damage caused by Winter Storm Uri and highlights the unmet needs it uncovered. This assessment also analyzed damages from COVID-19 and Hurricane Harvey to better understand how these crises compound on different communities and to identify where recovery efforts might make the biggest impact.
Property Tax Equity in Harris County
RESEARCH : January 26, 2022
The purpose of this study is to estimate the extent to which property taxes paid by City of Houston residents, businesses, and property owners financially support County services provided in Harris County outside the City of Houston. In other words, do Houston city taxpayers subsidize services provided by Harris County outside the city?
In 2011, Houston created a district to boost Hispanic council representation. What happened?
URBAN EDGE : November 1, 2021
In November 1979, Houston City Council went from being almost exclusively male and white to being dramatically more diverse, literally overnight, as voters elected the council’s first two women and its first Mexican-American, and tripled the representation of African-Americans. The new council was also on average 10 years younger. It was a new day in city politics—thanks to federally required reforms that led to single-member districting—and Houston never looked back.
The Woodlands puts incorporation question up for a vote
URBAN EDGE : October 11, 2021
The Houston suburb of The Woodlands has been called an “invisible city” for the dense tree canopy that shrouds the extent of its development. It is invisible perhaps in another way: It’s not a city at all, but rather a patchwork of special districts, service contracts and interlocal agreements—a tenuous marvel of public-private partnership. But that could soon change.