Urban Edge

Stories, perspectives and insights from the Kinder Institute

Why technofuturism can’t deliver on its promises of a transportation utopia

In the 1930s, motordom learned to depict an unachievable future utopia that is forever just over the next horizon, apparently always close enough to attract extravagant private and public investment, but somehow never actually achieved.

In cars, Texans are literally the worst, according to the rankings

About every quarter, the Urban Edge takes a break from its usual in-depth research-focused topics to assess the latest rankings of cities and states—some silly, some serious—and what they might tell us about Houston and Texas and their standing in the world of urban life. Today, we have to start with the bad news, where Texas is literally the worst.

Home appraisals have long been a source of racial disparity. A new federal effort could change that.

Racial inequities have long plagued the U.S. housing market. Yet only recently has the federal government moved to address one aspect of the real estate industry that continues to exacerbate the racial wealth gap in housing: appraisals.

Ride-hailing is finding inroads to equity and sustainability, Uber’s global head of cities says

Uber saw its ridership decline sharply amid the pandemic, but it was saved by an expansion of its delivery service. Its future, however, is tied to growing its ride-hailing service as it confronts reduced transit use overall and as it charts a path to electrifying its fleet by 2030. Uber’s global head of cities and transportation policy, Shin-pei Tsay, said the company is focused on pragmatic wins that it can scale across thousands of cities rather than wait on a transportation utopia to arrive.

An economist’s case for urban density: It’s just math

Conversation about land use and building in cities often turns to questions of aesthetics or personal preferences. You find impassioned advocates of various kinds of architecture or lifestyle.

Houston, Dallas led metro area growth in 2021 even as their urban cores lost population

Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth were again among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country last year, according to new statistics released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Houston’s untapped powerhouse: rooftop solar?

More Houston homeowners are embracing solar, but the city is only scratching the surface of its potential.

A wider view: Where Houston stands as it recovers from Harvey and builds its resilience

What do trees, bike lanes, and billions in federal disaster aid have in common? They are some of the building blocks of Houston’s future—one that is safer, more equitable and better positioned to withstand future disasters. They’re also among the inventory of measures included in the Kinder Institute’s new Resilience and Recovery Tracker.

Efforts to preserve affordable housing must be mindful of transit, quality and flood risk

A recent Kinder Institute report discussed strategies for preserving affordable housing, particularly Harris County’s vast supply of so-called “naturally affordable” units. But knowing which properties should be preserved is a challenge, and the resources committed to preservation tend to be very limited.

Urbanism arrives on TikTok: ‘Cities can be built differently, and people are noticing’

A small but active community of people is bringing the conversation about cities, urban design, transportation, and equity to TikTok. These would-be influencers have captured impressive audiences—hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views, engagements and comments. They could be key to boosting awareness of urban problems and provoking dialogue and change—if only there weren't a million other videos begging for attention at the same time.