Urban Edge

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

How homeownership is changing throughout Houston and Harris County

Buying a home continues to be a good investment: It has a better rate of return than most other investments, and unlike stocks, a home provides shelter, a fundamental human need. Unfortunately, it is an investment that far exceeds the grasp of many Houston-area residents.

Q&A: Protecting Houston’s prosperity from disasters requires quick coordination — and cash

The Houston area is no stranger to natural disasters, but the May 16 derecho was an uncharacteristic weather event for the region.

How can Houstonians keep up — and keep their jobs — in the rapidly evolving AI landscape?

About 6 out of 10 residents expect the rise of artificial intelligence to have a major impact on Houston’s workforce in the near future, according to the 43rd Kinder Houston Area Survey.

After getting the lights back on, what’s Houston’s biggest problem going forward?

Over the course of about four weeks early in 2024, residents across Harris County were asked their opinions on a variety of topics as part of the Kinder Houston Area Survey. That includes a question that has been asked every year since the survey’s founding in 1982: “What would you say is the biggest problem facing people in the Houston area today?”

How the Kinder Institute and United Way are helping Houston nonprofits put their data to work

Houston-area nonprofit organizations need help in collecting and using data, according to the results of a 2022 survey of more than 100 groups. Many nonprofits collect substantial amounts of data, and were seeking guidance on how to use that information to better understand their programs, services and clients.

Houston area led nation in issuing building permits for housing in 2023

Preliminary data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau indicated that the Houston metropolitan statistical area led the nation in building permit activity for housing in 2023, with 50,444 single-family homes making up the majority of the 68,755 permits issued for residential units.

From battling pandemics to serving the uninsured, why Houston’s health care leadership is more important than ever before

Dr. Marc Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, helped lead Houston through the COVID-19 pandemic by prioritizing the public’s accessibility to the COVID-19 vaccine, and he was the first hospital system CEO to introduce an employee COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Harris County appears to be losing more trees than it is planting. New datasets explore which neighborhoods lost the most.

New datasets on the Kinder Institute’s Urban Data Platform (UDP) make it possible to understand how tree canopy coverage has changed in the past decade across the Houston region. In short: We appear to be losing trees faster than we are planting them.

While Harris County grows a little, its suburbs see big change

Harris County is continuing to grow, but not at the rate of neighboring counties, a trend established more than a decade ago that has more recently emerged among other big counties statewide.

Guidance counselors could help close gender gap in Texas high school STEM participation

In the labor force and in postsecondary education, women lag behind their male counterparts when it comes to careers and interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).