Large, young and fast-growing Sun Belt metros need urban policy innovation
URBAN EDGE : June 11, 2020
Large cities of the Sun Belt are getting bigger and younger faster than metro areas in other parts of the country. They also face a combination of challenges unlike those metros in other regions; however, American urban policy as we know it was created for traditional Northeastern and Midwestern cities.
To fix our policing problem, we have to start with our racism problem
URBAN EDGE : June 6, 2020
As the deaths of black men and women resulting from police violence continues in America, protestors in cities large and small are calling for the end of systemic inequalities and police brutality. At the root of the problem is racism. Here are some ways to address it.
Already vulnerable neighborhoods are hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses
URBAN EDGE : April 29, 2020
A dashboard created by the Kinder Institute’s Houston Community Data Connections shows job-loss estimates in each Harris County community. Many of the areas impacted most by the economic downturn are home to low-income renters, the working poor and single-parent households.
Taking residents on a data walk to democratize community research findings
URBAN EDGE : April 27, 2020
Through workshops, community feedback and an interactive data walk, a Houston Community Data Connections team empowered Third Ward community members and other stakeholders to use data from a multi-phase comprehensive needs assessment to pursue priorities in the neighborhood.
Boom likely to resume but leaders need to square disparities in the Texas Triangle
URBAN EDGE : April 6, 2020
Despite the current coronavirus-driven economic slowdown and drop in oil prices, Houston continues to be one of the fastest-growing and most prosperous metropolitan areas in America. The metro area continues to add about 100,000 residents annually and has a gross domestic product of a half-trillion dollars per year.
How buses can drive equity and success in cities — and even help kill zombie ideas
URBAN EDGE : January 31, 2020
Ridership in most major metropolitan areas of the U.S. has been steadily declining in recent years. And transit experts worry about the trend’s impact on cities — economically and socially. But when you improve buses, as the experience in Houston and in so many other places shows, ridership and relevancy increase.
5 surprising things I learned analyzing property tax protest data
URBAN EDGE : January 14, 2020
It’s a tough time of year for homeowners in Houston. In November, a letter arrives from the Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector with next year’s property tax bill. Some people pay their taxes every month with their mortgage. Others, like me, end up writing a big check in January.
Big Texas cities are rapidly gentrifying, but none as fast as Houston
URBAN EDGE : January 8, 2020
Since the turn of the century, many neighborhoods in or near the heart of Houston and the state’s other large metropolitan areas — Dallas, San Antonio and Austin — have been transformed by the ongoing inflow of affluence. A change better known as gentrification.
How Houston has changed — and stayed the same — in the past 10 years
URBAN EDGE : January 7, 2020
It’s been a decade since the Kinder Institute for Urban Research was formed at Rice University. During that time, a lot has changed at the institute and in the Houston metropolitan area. In 2020, the Urban Edge will feature a number of stories related to the 10-year anniversary of the institute. To kick things off, let's compare the Houston area of 2010 with the city today.