Urban Edge

Sharp insights. Smart solutions. Better cities.

Why thousands of Houston-area households could soon lose a crucial internet subsidy

A program aimed at helping underserved communities afford internet service is expected to end in the coming months, a potential setback for efforts to close the digital divide.

Research shows benefits of guaranteed income as launch of Harris County pilot program nears

With applications for the new local guaranteed income program Uplift Harris now closed, the pilot is preparing to launch.

Houston needs skilled workers. They might be at your local high school.

Houston is facing a growing demand for highly educated and skilled workers.

Closing local achievement gaps begins with closing spending gaps in Houston, Harris County

Academic achievement gaps cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars each year, according to estimates by McKinsey and Co. Yet we have not made significant progress toward closing these gaps since we began measuring them in 1969 through the National Assessment of Educational Progress, despite significant developments in teaching and learning.

Seeking Solutions: Connect Community bolsters success of new immigrants in southwest Houston

Since its founding in 2016, Connect Community and its partners have put $126 million toward community development and holistic revitalization in the Gulfton and Sharpstown neighborhoods in southwest Houston.

Residents leave Houston neighborhoods thanks in part to climate change

According to a report by First Street Foundation, 9% of census blocks in Harris County are listed as “climate abandonment areas,” where people are moving out due at least partially to climate change-related flood risk and not being replaced by incoming homebuyers.

Homeless coalition’s new CEO: Diversion, prevention key to reducing Houston’s unhoused population

With nearly 25 years of experience at social service agencies in Houston, Kelly Young is no stranger to the needs of the most vulnerable people in our area.

Houston has the jobs, but employers must be willing to take a chance

There should be plenty of jobs available in the Greater Houston region this year, but is the area producing enough work-ready people to fill them?

Seeking solutions: Pro-Vision Inc. strives to end intergenerational poverty in Houston’s Sunnyside

After nine years in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Roynell Young determined his playing days were over at the end of the 1988-89 season.

Houston needs improving. Are Houstonians really willing to pay for it?

From parks to police to garbage pickup, our surveys have tapped into a surprising level of support for raising revenues to help the city of Houston improve services and raise the quality of life across the city. What should we make of that? Are Houstonians really willing to pay more for better local government?