Urban Edge

Sharp insights. Smart solutions. Better cities.

Why we’re taking a closer look at housing quality — and why we need your help

Over the last several years, we have come to understand that Houston is no longer as affordable as it once was. At the same time, relatively little has been learned about the quality of the places and spaces people call “home.” That’s why the Kinder Institute’s Housing Quality Registry is so urgently needed.

‘Any disruption spells disaster’: A deeper look at Houstonians’ financial vulnerability

Thirty-four percent of Harris County residents are financially secure, meaning they could go without a paycheck for three months or longer using just their savings, according to new Kinder Institute research.

How Houston's only public recovery high school is creating new paths for student success

Of all youth in Harris County, high schoolers had the highest rate of substance-involved health care facility visits and deaths from 2018-22, according to a new report.

Q&A: For Houston’s working poor, rising costs mean tougher choices

Over 725,000 households in the Houston area earn an income above the federal poverty line but cannot cover the rising cost of all of their essential needs, such as housing, health care and food, according to data compiled by United Way.

Housing, disasters, money and education: The Urban Edge in 2024

Extreme weather, the shortage of affordable housing and the benefits of prekindergarten were of greatest interest to Urban Edge readers this year, especially as they pertain to the Houston region.

Bilingualism is a strength Texas is failing to nurture for hundreds of thousands of students

Nearly one-fourth of all students in Texas public schools are emergent bilingual, meaning their home language is something other than English. Spanish is the most common home language among emergent bilingual students in the state, but over 60 languages are represented.

Making the case for increasing funding for Texas schools that need it most

Seventy percent of Houstonians believe schools need “significantly more” money to provide a quality education to students, a sentiment that has grown stronger since the Kinder Houston Area Survey began asking this question in the early 1990s.

Partnership with Houston Housing Authority offers an opportunity to rethink ‘opportunity’

In late 2023, the Houston Housing Authority received a $5 million federal grant to help move some of its families to so-called “opportunity neighborhoods,” areas with low poverty, high-quality schools and other amenities.

How a Houston Yellow Cab brownfield became a green light for affordable housing in Near Northside

Before ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber emerged in Houston, outposts like the Yellow Cab headquarters, just north of downtown, dispatched taxis to people in need of quick transportation.

‘We have to move faster’: Grappling with Harris County’s maternal health crisis

Maternal death rates in Harris County, particularly among Black and Hispanic women, have been among the highest in the country since 2016, according to a report released earlier this year by Harris County Public Health.