The unprecedented 2017 storm dumped more than 50 inches of rain on the Houston area but as rain events and flooding become the new normal, new research is needed to respond.

Latest Urban Edge Stories

Surveying Houston’s progressive shift through 40 years of data

Houston, a quintessentially free-enterprise, anti-government city, is increasingly recognizing the critical role of government in strengthening the safety net, expanding opportunity and building resiliency, according to the Kinder Houston Area Surveys.

Downtown Houston in 1977 and today
Kinder Institute Research
: May 27, 2021
Demographics, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey, Immigration, Urban Disparity, Urban Planning

How inequalities made Harvey recovery harder for many nonwhite Houstonians

Feature Story
: May 6, 2021
Hurricane Harvey, Urban Disparity

3 ways the city can help Houstonians better prepare for the next pileup of disasters

With more extreme weather events and disasters in our future, we need to change how our city prepares for these shocks and their long-lasting impacts so that Houstonians will take disaster preparedness more seriously.

Kinder Institute Research
: Mar 17, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Governance, Health, Hurricane Harvey

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

Texas Flood Registry 2020 Report

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.
Report: Aug 25, 2020
Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey

Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2020 Results

For close to four decades, the Kinder Houston Area Survey has been tracking the changing attitudes and experiences of Houstonians.
Report: May 18, 2020
Demographics, Economic Development, Education, Governance, Health, Housing, Hurricane Harvey, Immigration, Placemaking, Transportation, Urban Disparity, Urban Planning

Experts

Head shot of Jie Wu

Jie Wu

  • Director of Research Operations, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
  • Research Oversight Committee, Urban Data Platform
713-348-3856
Profile
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

Urban and Metropolitan Governance

Many of the major issues confronting Houston and other cities can be viewed as questions of governance. As part of the Urban and Metropolitan Governance program, researchers examine how Houston runs and how it can run better.