Urban Edge

Insights, perspectives and stories about building better cities and better lives

The Houston Townhouse: An Appreciation

Love or hate them, densely packed townhouses play a key role in the increasing the size of Houston's housing supply.

Weekly Roundup: Atlanta Hopes Its New Traffic Signals Are a Game Changer

The city will spend $250 million to improve its traffic system. Much of that will go towards its first traffic signal upgrade since the 1996 Olympics.

How To Address the 14 Percent of Young People Who Neither Work Nor Attend School

Interviews with disconnected youth -- young people who neither work nor attend school -- help reveal shortcomings of schools and other institutions.

Report: Indiana Mayoral Offices Shifting From Democrats to Republicans

Meanwhile, more than 20 percent of all mayoral elections in Indiana go uncontested.

Houston's Pensions Can Be Fixed, But as Other Cities Show Us, There's No Silver Bullet

The good news, for Houston, is there are clear steps it can take to manage its pension finances. The bad news? Almost all of them will cause some pain.

How Houston’s Unfunded Pension Liability Went From $0 to $4 Billion in Just 15 Years

There are two big reasons Houston’s pension challenges are growing. To fix the problem, they have to be addressed.

Why Houston Renters Aren't Giving Their City High Marks

Houstonians aren't recommending their city to friends and family members. Can the city move the needle?

What the Latest Version of Google Maps Tells Us About Cities

Google's efforts to highlight "areas of interest" reveals much about the development of Houston. It also says something about the way Google portrays urban life.

Q+A: What's Next For the Houston Housing Authority's Fountain View Project

Houston Housing Authority Chairman Lance Gilliam speaks with the Urban Edge about what happens next, now that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has blocked a public housing project in the wealthy Briargrove area.

Data-sharing Efforts Aim to Improve Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice Outcomes

"Unless we know the scope of what we’re dealing with," one nonprofit says, "there’s no way to develop solutions to it."