Urban Planning

How American cities are handling neighborhood change, gentrification and displacement

According to a Kinder Institute report released last year, the pace of neighborhood change in Houston has accelerated since the year 2000.

'Invisible Women:' How cities aren't including women in their plans

From city infrastructure to car safety to proper lighting to health, cities can do better to be more inclusive toward women's urban needs. 

Urban tree distribution reveals neighborhood inequalities within cities, including Houston

In a city notorious for rain, heat and humidity (and often all three at once), shade is a highly-coveted, heat-reprieving resource for all Houstonians. And yet, the presence of shade at times feels unequal depending on where you are in the city.

How climate change is going to affect cities, urban spaces

Cities are growing and as climate change continues, the urban landscape will continue to feel the effects of what's being described as a "crisis."

Cities are getting hotter. This guide can be the simple start to cooling them down.

This hot city summer reading guide is for all you hot boy and girl urbanists out there.

Houston's Walkable Places Committee presents plan for more pedestrian-friendly city

A Q&A with Bill Baldwin, Houston planning commissioner and chair of the Walkable Places Committee, reveals his goals for Houston.

Houston landmarks according to you

We asked readers which Houston landmarks anchor their mental maps of the area. Here's what you said.

Houston extends minimum parking exemptions into East End, Midtown

Car-centric Houston gets a little less car-centric.

How landmarks and cognitive maps could help create social cohesion

As researchers continue to investigate how we go about forming our mental maps, understanding their impacts is important too.

As downtowns continue to evolve, cities have a critical role to play

As more people move into large metropolises, the landscape of the city will also change. One of these changes will be having more than one "downtown." 

How the I-45 project will affect two affordable housing communities

This post is part of a series on the I-45 project, published every Monday and Wednesday throughout June.

Houston's historic Independence Heights' complicated past, present and future with divisive freeways

This post is part of a series on the I-45 project, published every Monday and Wednesday throughout June.

The Last Black Man In San Francisco offers intimate look at gentrification's impact

The film, which opens in Houston Friday, follows one man's efforts to reclaim the home his grandfather built.

TxDOT's I-45 project could hurt a school and its community. But there are ways to mitigate the harm.

This post is part of a series on the I-45 project, published every Monday and Wednesday throughout June.

Cities with protected bike lanes are safer for everyone, including drivers themselves

A study of crash and street design data from 12 cities, including Houston, finds roads with protected bike lanes make both cycling and driving safer.