Surveying Houston’s progressive shift through 40 years of data
URBAN EDGE : May 27, 2021
Houston, a quintessentially free-enterprise, anti-government city, is increasingly recognizing the critical role of government in strengthening the safety net, expanding opportunity and building resiliency, according to the Kinder Houston Area Surveys.
Triumph of the Triangle: How Texas can hold onto its urban economic powerhouse
URBAN EDGE : May 18, 2021
In 1966, a lawyer named Herb Kelleher met one of his clients, a pilot and investment banker named Rollin King, for a drink in a San Antonio hotel bar. Both were entrepreneurs looking for new opportunities, and they discussed starting an airline to serve an in-state. The legend is that King drew a triangle on a cocktail napkin, showing how the new airline would connect the major markets in Texas.
The Texas Triangle: A rising megaregion unlike all others
URBAN EDGE : May 14, 2021
The Texas Triangle—the urban megaregion consisting of the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin metropolitan areas—stands out as a distinctive model among America’s large urban megaregions.
Kinder Houston Area Survey: 2021 Results
RESEARCH : May 11, 2021
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.
Urban gardening has taken root, and it’s time for cities to encourage new growth
URBAN EDGE : March 30, 2021
For many, the pandemic has been a time of self-reflection and reassessing how and why we spend our days doing what we do and the quality of our lives. That includes what we eat and where it comes from, which has led to a renewed interest in urban gardens. How can cities rethink the use of land and shared spaces in ways that promote gardening and help residents reap the rewards?
45% of Houston families couldn’t make ends meet — then COVID-19 made things worse
URBAN EDGE : March 25, 2021
A new report shows most local economies aren’t delivering enough high-quality jobs to support the cost of raising a family. As cities across the nation work to recover from a recession that has worsened the preexisting challenge of struggling families, how can more jobs be created or upgraded to pay a family-sustaining wage?
A blueprint for continued economic prosperity in Texas
URBAN EDGE : March 23, 2021
Texas metros are the engines driving the state’s robust economy. To ensure things run smoothly in the future, metropolitan areas need to be at the center of state policy. The collaborative Texas Metropolitan Blueprint provides a plan for continuing and building on the metropolitan progress that benefits the entire state.
6 post-pandemic predictions about how cities will be different going forward
URBAN EDGE : March 14, 2021
As access to the COVID-19 vaccination becomes increasingly widespread, it seems possible to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But what’s next for cities? Here are six ways cities will be different — from Zoomburbs and public transit to the fate of retail and housing — in the years to come.
A Bottom-Up Infrastructure Strategy for American Renewal
RESEARCH : February 10, 2021
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.
The US needs a bottom-up plan to fix its glaring infrastructure needs
URBAN EDGE : February 9, 2021
A major, federally led infrastructure strategy is vital to meeting the nation’s challenges. A new Kinder Institute report shows that to be truly responsive to the needs of America’s cities and regions, a bottom-up consultation process with regional and local leaders and a focus on three priorities will be necessary.