A Bird’s-Eye View of Colonias Hosting Forgotten Americans and Their Community Resilience in the Rio Grande Valley
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- 1.
- What is the total count of colonias in the RGV, as documented by official sources?
- 2.
- What is the degree of susceptibility of the colonias to public health hazards, as indicated by available data?
- 3.
- What are the significant transformations that have taken place in terms of colonias’ vulnerability to public health hazards in the last two decades, as per scholarly research?
- 4.
- What is the extent of community resilience in the colonias, as measured by established indicators?
- 5.
- What is the proportion of colonias that are affected by flooding, based on available empirical evidence?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.2. Data
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Total Number of Colonias in the Rio Grande Valley
3.2. The Degree of Susceptibility of the Colonias to Public Health Hazards
3.3. Transformations of Colonias’ Vulnerability to Public Health Hazards
3.4. The Extent of Community Resilience in the Colonias
3.5. Colonias Affected by Flooding
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Green | Yellow | Red | Unknown | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Portable water | Yes | Yes | No | - |
Adequate wastewater disposal | Yes | Yes | No | - |
Legal plats | Yes | Yes | No | - |
Adequate paved roads | Yes | No | - | - |
Adequate drainage | Yes | No | - | - |
Solid waste disposal | Yes | No | - | - |
Factors | Community Resilience Estimate | Indicator | Measurement | Association with CRE | Weights |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1a | Income Inequality | Gini Index of income inequality | 0, indicating perfect equality (where everyone receives an equal share), to 1, perfect inequality (where only one recipient or group of recipients receives all the income) | Negative | 5% |
1b | Poverty | Population living under the poverty level | Percentage of the population whose income in the past 12 months is below the poverty level | Negative | 5% |
2a | Sex—Female | Female population | Percentage of households with a female householder, no spouse/partner present, with own children of household under 18 years | Negative | 5% |
2b | Sex—Male | Male population | Percentage of households with a male householder, no spouse/partner present, with own children of household under 18 years | Negative | 5% |
3 | Housing Occupancy | Housing occupancy rate | Percentage of occupied housing units with 1.51 occupants or more per room | Negative | 10% |
4a | Educational Attainment | Population with high school graduate | Percentage of population 25 and over—high school graduate or higher | Positive | 5% |
4b | Employment | Working full time | Percentage of the population 16 to 64 years who worked full time, year-round. Full-time year-round workers are defined as all people 16 years old and over who usually worked 35 h or more per week for 50 to 52 weeks in the past 12 months | Positive | 5% |
5 | English Proficiency | Speaks English less than very well | Percentage of the population 5 years and over that speaks a language other than English and speaks English less than “very well” | Negative | 10% |
6 | Disability | People with a disability | Percentage of civilian noninstitutionalized population with a disability | Negative | 10% |
7 | Age | 65 years or older | Percentage of the population 65 years and over | Negative | 10% |
8 | Health Insurance | Population with no health insurance | Percentage of civilian noninstitutionalized population with no health insurance coverage | Negative | 10% |
9 | Vehicle Access | Population with no vehicles available | Percentage of occupied housing units with no vehicles available | Negative | 10% |
10 | Internet Access | Population with no Internet access | Percentage of households with a broadband Internet subscription | Positive | 10% |
County | Cameron | Hidalgo | Starr | Willacy | RGV | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I. Community Resilience Index | M | L | VL | Total | H | M | L | VL | Total | M | L | VL | Total | L | VL | Total | Total |
1. The overall count of colonias | 1 | 81 | 90 | 172 | 9 | 131 | 399 | 307 | 846 | 30 | 78 | 124 | 232 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 1266 |
The percentage of total colonias within the county | 0.6% | 47.1% | 52.3% | 100% | 1% | 15% | 47% | 36% | 100% | 13% | 34% | 53% | 100% | 38% | 63% | 100% | |
2. The total count of census tracts within the county | 7 | 33 | 46 | 86 | 4 | 24 | 49 | 36 | 113 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 219 |
3. Total population in all census tracts in the RGV | 36,304 | 192,024 | 193,449 | 421,777 | 41,040 | 188,238 | 38,1046 | 253,700 | 864,024 | 4995 | 19,361 | 39,657 | 64,013 | 10,564 | 7536 | 18,100 | 1,367,914 |
4. The total tracts within the county that contain colonias | 1 | 15 | 17 | 33 | 3 | 17 | 47 | 27 | 94 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 147 |
5. Total population residing in census tracts including colonias | 5503 | 108,201 | 97,319 | 211,023 | 30,840 | 153,331 | 360,621 | 220,049 | 764,841 | 4995 | 19,361 | 39,657 | 64,013 | 10,564 | 7536 | 18,100 | 1,057,977 |
6. The estimated total population residing in colonias | 121 | 24,144 | 23,013 | 47,278 | 329 | 10,187 | 57,876 | 38,523 | 106,915 | 3380 | 10,997 | 19,885 | 34,262 | . | . | . | 188,455 |
The percentage of total population residing in colonias | 2% | 22% | 24% | 22% | 1% | 7% | 16% | 18% | 14% | 68% | 57% | 50% | 54% | . | . | . | 14% |
7. Total estimated lots in the colonias | 59 | 6566 | 9957 | 16,582 | 644 | 4749 | 18,894 | 16,152 | 40,439 | 1111 | 4272 | 8181 | 13,564 | 473 | 813 | 1286 | 71,871 |
The percentage of the total lots within the county in colonias | 0% | 40% | 60% | 100% | 2% | 12% | 47% | 40% | 100% | 8% | 31% | 60% | 100% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 100% |
8. Total number of colonias incorporated | 1 | 10 | 20 | 31 | 2 | 84 | 105 | 106 | 297 | 0 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 384 |
The percentage of the total colonias that are incorporated | 3% | 32% | 65% | 100% | 6% | 271% | 339% | 342% | 958% | 0% | 55% | 126% | 181% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 30% |
II. SB827 Color Classification | |||||||||||||||||
1. Green | 0 | 42 | 49 | 91 | 4 | 36 | 107 | 116 | 263 | 12 | 21 | 61 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 448 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 46% | 54% | 100% | 2% | 14% | 41% | 44% | 100% | 13% | 22% | 65% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
2. Yellow | 0 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 1 | 30 | 123 | 72 | 226 | 1 | 7 | 24 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 299 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 46% | 54% | 100% | 0% | 13% | 54% | 32% | 100% | 3% | 22% | 75% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
3. Red | 1 | 20 | 19 | 40 | 0 | 12 | 71 | 29 | 112 | 17 | 50 | 38 | 105 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 257 |
Percentage of the county total | 3% | 50% | 48% | 100% | 0% | 11% | 63% | 26% | 100% | 16% | 48% | 36% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
4. Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 53 | 97 | 90 | 244 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 261 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2% | 22% | 40% | 37% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 2% | 4% | 6% | 100% |
III. In flood plain | |||||||||||||||||
1. Yes | 0 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 1 | 17 | 119 | 64 | 201 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 249 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 39% | 61% | 100% | 0% | 8% | 59% | 32% | 100% | 0% | 33% | 67% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
2. No | 1 | 67 | 70 | 138 | 4 | 59 | 174 | 150 | 387 | 30 | 73 | 113 | 216 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 741 |
Percentage of the county total | 1% | 49% | 51% | 100% | 1% | 15% | 45% | 39% | 100% | 14% | 34% | 52% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
3. Partial | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 100% | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
4. Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 15% | 62% | 23% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
IV. Flood after rainfall | |||||||||||||||||
1. Yes | 1 | 23 | 30 | 54 | 1 | 36 | 155 | 70 | 262 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 330 |
Percentage of the county total | 2% | 43% | 56% | 100% | 0% | 14% | 59% | 27% | 100% | 0% | 29% | 71% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
2. No | 0 | 57 | 59 | 116 | 4 | 40 | 141 | 142 | 327 | 30 | 74 | 111 | 215 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 658 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 49% | 51% | 100% | 1% | 12% | 43% | 43% | 100% | 14% | 34% | 52% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
3. Partial | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 50% | 50% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
4. Unknown | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
Percentage of the county total | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 45% | 36% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 100% |
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Kyne, D. A Bird’s-Eye View of Colonias Hosting Forgotten Americans and Their Community Resilience in the Rio Grande Valley. Geographies 2023, 3, 459-476. https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies3030024
Kyne D. A Bird’s-Eye View of Colonias Hosting Forgotten Americans and Their Community Resilience in the Rio Grande Valley. Geographies. 2023; 3(3):459-476. https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies3030024
Chicago/Turabian StyleKyne, Dean. 2023. "A Bird’s-Eye View of Colonias Hosting Forgotten Americans and Their Community Resilience in the Rio Grande Valley" Geographies 3, no. 3: 459-476. https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies3030024