The 2025 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report highlights the health risks posed by inadequate housing.
Over 20 percent of Harris County housing units are located in a major flood area, according to the 2025 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. As John Brannen explains in Urban Edge, the report also “found a strong connection between a neighborhood’s share of single-family homes in floodplains and that neighborhood’s poverty rate.”
Many homes in the region are unprepared for climate risk ,with over 100,000 lacking central air conditioning. “The State of Housing report also highlights the poor air quality plaguing the area. In 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, every neighborhood in Harris County failed to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for concentration of PM 2.5, which is particulate matter more than 2.5 microns in diameter.”
The lack of housing resilience is likely to affect low-income households most. Elaine Morales-Díaz, the senior director of partnerships and policy at Connective and a panelist in a Kinder Institute panel discussing the report, said “health risks arising from inadequate housing in the face of extreme weather and the compounding effects of disasters are among the area’s top housing challenges.” In coming years, hundreds of thousands of Houston-area housing units could be at risk of flooding.
FULL STORY: ‘Vulnerable people in vulnerable places’: How costs and climate collide in Houston’s housing system
Will Hurricanes Drive Away Florida’s Retirees?
Some children of Florida retirees are urging their parents to leave hurricane-prone areas for safer regions.
FEMA Rule Calls for Updated Flood Modeling
Agency-funded projects will be required to be elevated at least 2 feet above the projected local flood level.
Assessing Houston’s ‘Climate Abandonment Areas’
Most of the census tracts designated at high risk of flooding are in less affluent neighborhoods.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Washington’s New Rent Cap Set Just Below 10% for 2026
Washington’s statewide cap on annual residential rent increases will be just shy of 10 percent next year, down slightly from its current level.
Nature Starts Here: The Essential Role of Nature Centers and Outdoor Programs
Nature centers and outdoor programs serve as vital gateways to environmental education, equity, and stewardship — bringing people closer to nature and inspiring the next generation to care for the planet.
Opinion: California Clean Transportation Efforts Not Addressing Needs of Low-Income Residents
The state’s rebate programs for e-bikes and other light electric vehicles are too underfunded to reach many of the Californians who need them most.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie