Transportation

Why are Houston pedestrians forced to play a real-life game of ‘Frogger’?

Under Texas law, drivers are required to yield the right of way to people in a crosswalk, marked or unmarked. But for the most part, Houston drivers ignore the rules. In the end, the driving laws in the state are not protecting vulnerable road users.

The 2020 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston

This first State of Housing report compares how dozens of key housing indicators in Harris County and Houston have shifted between 2010 and 2018.

These tools — and policy changes — may help Houston address housing affordability

For years, Houston has been touted as one of the nation’s most affordable major metropolitan areas. But it’s now facing a decreasing supply of affordable housing. To effectively address the affordability crisis in Houston, local decision-makers and individuals must consider the combined costs of housing and transportation and their impact on overall affordability.

Where Affordable Housing and Transportation Meet in Houston

While local decision-makers and individuals tend to view housing and transportation separately, effectively addressing affordability for Houstonians means considering housing and transportation expenses together.

Here’s where affordable housing and sustainable transportation co-exist in Houston

To better understand the affordability crisis in Houston, LINK Houston and Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research teamed up to explore where affordable housing and high-quality, affordable transportation overlap in the city.

We shouldn’t let this disaster go to waste

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, planners and urbanists should be considering the lessons we’re already learning during the pandemic and think about solutions that will improve our future cities. Those include things like urban farming, neighborhoods that are less drivable and more walkable, and better, safer shared-use of city streets.

Mobility data shows some staying at home more than others during COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers studying the impact of stay-at-home mandates on the area’s environment and infrastructure share insight into which county populations are limiting their movement — and potential exposure to the coronavirus — more than others. 

How do we safely reopen cities after the coronavirus pandemic? We have to prepare now.

No, COVID-19 will not be the end of cities. But it will take time, effort and preparation to safely return them to “normal” as soon as possible, says urban studies theorist Richard Florida.

What if we spent billions to improve access instead of gridlock?

American cities are caught in a cycle that goes something like this: Expand roads to mitigate gridlock, which encourages more people to drive, which produces more congestion, which is addressed by expanding roads, which encourages more people to drive and on it goes. According to a new report, the continual expansion of roads only treats a symptom — congestion — and not the disease — sprawl. But what if we’re focusing on the wrong thing?

Sharing the road isn’t radical thinking. Let’s slow down and consider the possibilities.

All day long, cars and trucks speed down Rushmore Boulevard, a high-traffic roadway that separates a pair of lifelong friends in the book “The Busiest Street in Town.” That is, until they decide to take matters into their own hands to slow the traffic and make the street safe for everyone. It may be a children’s book but the story doesn’t have to be a fairy tale.

Near Northside: Safe Streets, Safe Communities

This report is the second in a series aimed to aid efforts to improve street safety in Houston. The first report (Safe Streets, Safe Communities) is linked below.

Many residents feeling far from safe on Near Northside streets

Near Northside residents’ perception of safety and the quality of streets and sidewalks are assessed in a pair of new reports from the Kinder Institute. The findings show subpar infrastructure and fears of crime and cars are endangering many in the neighborhood.

Everything you think you know about city buses is probably wrong

Writer and transit advocate Steven Higashide says buses provide affordable mobility, combat climate change and address inequalities in American cities.

Urban Reads: Steven Higashide

Transit expert Steven Higashide discusses how to plan, run and win the fight for effective transit.

What Indy learned when it opened a mostly bus-only rapid transit route

IndyGo opened its Red Line last year, connecting many important parts of Indianapolis along a 60% bus-only rapid transit route.