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.
Update: Evictions cost Harris County over $240 million a year — that was before COVID-19
URBAN EDGE : September 16, 2020
Researchers at the Kinder Institute estimated the annual cost of evictions to Harris County, where more people are evicted each year than anywhere in the U.S., with the exception of New York. The increasing costs of evictions eat up funding that could go toward improving the county’s public health, transportation, public safety and education infrastructure.
Texas Flood Registry 2020 Report
RESEARCH : August 25, 2020
This report includes updates on Harvey’s long-term impact and recent findings
about the health and housing effects of the May 2019 storms and Tropical Storm Imelda.
It’s hard to breathe with a concrete plant in your backyard
URBAN EDGE : August 19, 2020
NIMBY opposition alone isn’t enough to counter the harmful effects of air pollutants emitted by concrete batch plants located in underserved and over-polluted communities in Harris County, which is home to more of these facilities than any county in Texas. Too often, much of the pollution and many of the polluters largely go unchecked by the state.
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.
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.
Helping families find — and keep — affordable housing during these tough times
URBAN EDGE : June 24, 2020
Those who need affordable housing most have been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing economic crisis. And organizations that help create affordable housing opportunities in Houston and Harris County for these families are facing challenges — some anticipated, others not — in this new and uncertain world.
State of Housing
INITIATIVE : June 23, 2020
The Kinder Institute’s State of Housing in Harris County and Houston reports provide annual updates across a variety of housing-related indicators tracking shifts in the region's housing system.