Insights

City Puts Land Bank, Recovery Dollars to Work with New Single-Family Home Construction

A retooled land bank program seeks to improve the city's affordable housing construction record while coordinating influx of disaster recovery funding.

Urban Review: Spatial Mismatch, Cash Bail and Harvey's Deadly Legacy

This week, more research on the impact of living far away from jobs, an effective end to cash bail in California and why Harris County's count of Harvey-related deaths could be too low.

To Pay for Trauma Centers, State Program Sinks Thousands of Texas Drivers into Deep Debt

Texas Tribune | Though lawmakers acknowledge the policy disproportionately hurts the poor, they've struggled to eliminate it.

How the Walkable Places Committee Plans to Make Houston More Pedestrian Friendly

The Houston Walkable Places Committee aims to make the Bayou City a more pedestrian-friendly city one new construction at a time.

Urban Review: How To Comment on Proposed Policy, Making Texas Roads Safer and Protecting Aretha Franklin's Childhood Home

This week, a handy how-to guide on submitting comments on federal proposals, plus a call out to do just that at the state level to support safer roads in Texas and a look at a new park in Tulsa, an existing Dodger Stadium connection and more.

In Unearthed Mass Grave of Prison Laborers, Fast-Growing Houston Suburb Confronts Its Past

The Conversation | In theory, Texas law should protect these heritage sites.

How to Help the Highest-Need Student Loan Borrowers

A new Urban Institute report sheds light on who's most likely to default on student loans, and possible ways to help them.

Your Voting Habits May Depend on When You Registered to Vote

The Conversation | Research sheds light on who's most likely to vote and who's most likely to become a habitual voter.

Urban Review: Bike Safety, Transit Equity and a New Home Construction Program in Houston

This week, new research on the potential safety benefits of Houston's Bike Plan, a home construction program, getting transit equity right and more.

Flood Control Bond Has Support, Skepticism As Early Voting Begins

Early voting began Wednesday, with election day on Aug. 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey's landfall.

Houston Metro's Next Steps Could Have Big Impacts, But For Whom Depends on Final Funding and Plans

With several still very preliminary plans for Metro's next steps on the table, how should we think about equity?

Texas High Schools Are Supposed to Help Students Register to Vote. Many Aren't.

A new study from the Texas Civil Rights Project tracked which schools had requested voter registration forms from the state and which hadn't.

Metro Presents Draft Long-Range Plan

Still preliminary, the plan includes airport rail connections, bus rapid transit and more but will likely face serious financial constraints.

Urban Review: Parking, A Football Oz and How To (Not) Write About Los Angeles

This week, new data on parking, a review of a fabricated sports city, the problem with work requirements and a lesson in writing about Los Angeles (and all cities).

Families with Children Are Renting More

Houston had the largest increase in families with children who rented of the 30 biggest metropolitan areas between 2006 and 2016.