Sun Belt

In cars, Texans are literally the worst, according to the rankings

About every quarter, the Urban Edge takes a break from its usual in-depth research-focused topics to assess the latest rankings of cities and states—some silly, some serious—and what they might tell us about Houston and Texas and their standing in the world of urban life. Today, we have to start with the bad news, where Texas is literally the worst.

How Dallas-Fort Worth is poised to dominate America’s heartland

There’s an adage in Texas about a braggart being someone who’s “all hat and no cattle.” But you can’t say that about “Big D,” rapidly emerging as the de facto capital of the American Heartland.

2020 picture of Texas comes into focus: A diverse state dominated by major metros

Texas added about 4 million new residents from 2010 to 2020, making it the third fastest-growing state. At the same time, it also became more diverse, and much like the rest of the country, its residents are increasingly concentrated in cities and suburbs.

A road trip to find the next big Texan metropolis

Texas’ “Big 4” metro areas—Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio—have all exploded with growth. Will a fifth emerge?

Is Houston underrated as a bike city?

The city has eight months of ideal cycling weather each year and has taken some sizable steps in building out its bike infrastructure in the past decade. But is anyone outside of Houston paying attention?

Shedding light on the invisible epidemic of pedestrian deaths in America

In the past 10 years, the number of people who have died while walking in the United States has shot up by more than 50%. In Houston, pedestrian deaths have more than doubled in that time — spiking 125%. In “Right of Way,” Angie Schmitt examines the crisis of pedestrian injuries and fatalities across the U.S. — a crisis that disproportionately impacts low-income and minority communities.

What is it about Plano?

We couldn’t help but notice that the suburb north of Dallas consistently ranks high on many of those “best cities for (fill in the blank)” lists we see so often. What is Plano’s secret?

Buoyed by a suburban shift, the pandemic housing market continues to soar

In the Houston area and affordable metros and small- and mid-size cities across the U.S., sales of single-family homes are on pace to hit record highs. How much of the boom can be attributed to the COVID-19 crisis?

Big-city planners shouldn’t overlook the lessons of small-town design

Influenced by the Garden City movement, Badin, North Carolina, is a small gem of urban planning whose design called for green space, residential areas and commercial development in proportionate amounts. The planning of small towns like Badin can serve as an example for larger cities as they continue to grow.

Houston lost 42,500 creative industry jobs and $1.6 billion in sales in 4 months

A new report measuring the damage done to America’s creative economy by COVID-19 shows the South, Texas and Houston are among the most devastated. At the metropolitan level, the Houston area is the largest metro suffering the worst losses.

The education—and miseducation—of an urban planner

James Rojas has spent the better part of his career reconciling his formal training with his lived experience as a Gay Chicano.

COVID-19 hot spots emerge across the Sun Belt as states expand reopenings

Amid reopenings, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma and California are among many states seeing large spikes in new coronavirus infections.

The Urban Sun Belt: An Overview

This report documents the unique set of urban challenges Sun Belt Cities face.

Big cities, megaregions and the huge role they will play in response and recovery

Cities need to reject the notion that they are the pandemic problem; rather, they need to assert their collective brainpower, humanity and economies as the solution to emerging from this current crisis smarter, kinder and more prosperous than ever.

A minimal approach to regulations may lead to Houston becoming the nation’s next dense city

In the past several months, the density of urban areas has been demonized by more than a few because of the COVID-19 crisis. While understandable, it’s not completely accurate when it comes to the current pandemic, which has ravaged New York but hasn’t affected other very dense cities like Hong Kong and Singapore in the same way. In Houston, the city’s light touch when it comes to land-use regulations and its relative affordability are leading to greater density. That trend is likely to continue when the pandemic ends.