Urban Edge

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

Cities and coronavirus: Some thoughts

The Coronavirus pandemic is already worse in several American states than anywhere in China outside Hubei Province. The pandemic is all about geography, and we need to do more to pinpoint hotspots and contagion. The very thing that makes cities special–their ability to bring people together–is their kryptonite in the Coronavirus pandemic.

Report: Texas moves to No. 39 on list of most aggressive states in combating COVID-19 (update)

The state, which ranks 31st in population density, has moved up to No. 38 in tested cases of COVID-19 per capita — it was previously last. It remains 48th in total public health emergency preparedness funding per capita.

To slow the coronavirus in Houston, we should ‘hunker down’ and hope for a controlled crash landing

An infectious disease expert from Rice University talks about the good, the bad and the future effects of our response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Is non-gentrification the real threat to neighborhoods?

Why are there so few studies charting displacement and cultural decline in non-gentrifying neighborhoods? According to this commentary, the implicit assumption in most gentrification research is that if a neighborhood doesn’t change, it stays the same. And that displacement by decline is much more common and more harmful than displacement due to gentrification.

Parks and re-creation: How better green spaces are revitalizing cities

New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver discussed how innovative projects have transformed many of the city’s parks as well the lives of residents.

What if we spent billions to improve access instead of gridlock?

American cities are caught in a cycle that goes something like this: Expand roads to mitigate gridlock, which encourages more people to drive, which produces more congestion, which is addressed by expanding roads, which encourages more people to drive and on it goes. According to a new report, the continual expansion of roads only treats a symptom — congestion — and not the disease — sprawl. But what if we’re focusing on the wrong thing?

Sharing the road isn’t radical thinking. Let’s slow down and consider the possibilities.

All day long, cars and trucks speed down Rushmore Boulevard, a high-traffic roadway that separates a pair of lifelong friends in the book “The Busiest Street in Town.” That is, until they decide to take matters into their own hands to slow the traffic and make the street safe for everyone. It may be a children’s book but the story doesn’t have to be a fairy tale.

A vacant lot in Third Ward is filled with life after chess-park transformation

The “Urban Edge explains …” series explores issues and concepts that are important to urban planning and policy experts. Today, we look at the power of tactical urbanism to demonstrate effective solutions to long-term goals using short-term, inexpensive examples.

Here’s how Texas can help today’s students land the jobs of tomorrow

Research consistently shows that higher education pays — for both individuals and society. There’s a direct correlation between the level of postsecondary education and the amount of money a person makes, how much they pay in taxes, their degree of civic engagement and even their health. On average, those with a bachelor’s degree earn 31% more than those with an associate degree and 62% more than those with a high school diploma alone.

Many residents feeling far from safe on Near Northside streets

Near Northside residents’ perception of safety and the quality of streets and sidewalks are assessed in a pair of new reports from the Kinder Institute. The findings show subpar infrastructure and fears of crime and cars are endangering many in the neighborhood.