Black community, the moment to value ourselves is now
URBAN EDGE : April 27, 2021
“One callous white police officer convicted does not signal the demise of anti-Blackness. Her talons are embedded deeply in this nation’s flesh. It is like putting a $100 down payment on a $100 million house. It is progress, but you might want to hold off on scheduling the housewarming party.”
‘Slow streets’ may have been rolled out too fast in Houston
URBAN EDGE : April 1, 2021
Despite good intentions, the city’s three-month “slow streets” experiment in Eastwood may have been undone by efforts to react quickly to the circumstances of the pandemic. But the lessons learned could improve the initiative 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?
How stay-at-home orders added to the homelife stress of many Houstonians
URBAN EDGE : March 29, 2021
COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the lives of low-income families living in homes that were in need of repairs even before the pandemic. A pilot study involving 16 Fifth Ward households was launched to better understand how stay-at-home stress affected underserved residents both during and after the “Stay Home, Work Safe” order in Harris County.
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?
America needs more police — just a different kind
URBAN EDGE : March 22, 2021
In the 10 months since the killing of George Floyd, has policing in America changed at all? We need to rethink what it means to protect and serve the well-being of citizens.
Giving Buffalo Bayou ‘back to the people’ of the East End
URBAN EDGE : March 17, 2021
As the Buffalo Bayou Partnership looks east, some of the first improvements planned include mixed-income housing options, a Japhet Creek pocket park in the lower Fifth Ward, wharf and dock reconstruction in the Second Ward and filling gaps in existing trails. But it all started with connecting to communities.
One year in, what progress has Houston made in its plan to build resilience?
URBAN EDGE : March 1, 2021
In 2020, the City of Houston and regional stakeholders cemented a resilience strategy and a climate action plan, which were adapted to reflect COVID-19’s impact on urban life. The Kinder Institute has gathered information and updates on the progress made in the first year of these efforts in one place.
Now that failing infrastructure has our attention, it needs our investment
URBAN EDGE : February 19, 2021
There’s no question the United States is living off past investments in infrastructure without building the new infrastructure we need — or even upgrading the old infrastructure we have. It’s time to invest heavily in quasi-public infrastructure and ramp up effective public oversight of that infrastructure so it will work for us in emergency situations.