Infrastructure and mobility are ongoing challenges for many urban areas that connect to a range of related issues.

Latest Urban Edge Stories

3 trends in urban planning that will shape how we live in the endemic-COVID era

It is now clear that the pandemic will not be behind us anytime soon. The pandemic variants and skepticism over the vaccine have made the potential for herd immunity (requiring a very high vaccination rate globally) difficult if not impossible to attain. This means that we are probably going to have to live with COVID for the foreseeable future and to adapt continuously to its impacts to our way of life. 

Urban Edge: Oct 18, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Transportation, Urban Planning

If remote work survives the pandemic in Houston, it could curb congestion

What for some may be an anticipated return to “normal” is for others an anxiety-filled readjustment to pre-pandemic life. No matter which category you place yourself, there are some aspects of normalcy we’d all prefer to leave in 2019. Chief among them is the daily struggle to get where we need or want to go. Unfortunately, it’s not certain how long we have before traffic in Houston returns and exceeds levels we saw a couple of years ago. 

Feature Story
: Jul 30, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Transportation

As we worked to corral COVID-19, traffic deaths spun out of control

There were 3,896 traffic deaths in Texas last year, 273 more than in 2019. That 7.5% increase followed year-over-year decreases in motor vehicle fatalities from 2017–19, and is the biggest jump since 2012. Traffic fatalities in Harris County went up by almost 19% last year.

That’s despite the fact that we were driving far less, or so it seemed.

News Story
: Jul 1, 2021
COVID-19 and Cities, Transportation

Latest Research

The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

The 2021 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report uses a range of indicators to track the challenges, opportunities and trends in the region’s housing system.
Research: Jun 22, 2021
Housing, Transportation, Urban Planning

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.
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

Experts

Luis Guajardo

Luis Guajardo

  • Urban Policy Research Manager, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
713-348-4471
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Head shot of Han Park

John Park

  • Senior Research Fellow, Development, Transportation and Placemaking, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
713-348-8127
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Related Initiatives

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.