alief-briefingbook
TRANSCRIPT
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Briefi ng BookCollaborative Community Design Initiative, No. 2Community Design Resource Center2011
Alief
The mission of the Community Design Resource Center is to enhance the quality of life in low and moderate income communities throughout the Houston region through design research, education, and practice.
Established in 2005, the Community Design Resource Center works to address issues of community development, design, planning, affordable housing and civic projects that meet the goals and visions of our partners. We bring decades of expertise and experience to our collaborations. Over the course of the last fi ve years we have partnered with more than fi fteen community-based organizations and we have collaborated with more than 500 residents and stakeholders; we have engaged more than 100 students in community-based learning projects and provided 25 summer student internships.
Contact:
Susan Rogers, DirectorCommunity Design Resource CenterGerald D. Hines College of ArchitectureUniversity of Houston122 Architecture Bldg. Houston, TX [email protected]
“design is a strategy for change”
Community Design Resource Center
Contents
Introduction
HistoryHistorical Maps
ContextAerialFigure Ground and Street PatternLand UseParksTransportation
DemographicsPopulation and Income EducationEthnicityPoverty
OpportunitiesOverviewRight-of-WaysInfi ll SitesStrip MallsMulti-Family Retrofi tting
Participants and
Sponsors
5
6
10
24
30
45
Retail Strip in AliefPhoto by Susan Rogers
5
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
located in far southwest Houston.
The neighborhood is bounded by
Westpark on the north, Beltway 8 on
the east, West Bellfort on the south,
and near Synott Road on the west.
The neighborhood is traversed by
Bellaire Boulevard which runs east-
west and is the major commercial
corridor in the area.
Most of the neighborhood was
developed in the late twentieth
century. Over the last twenty years
the neighborhood has become very
diverse and is home to the ever-
growing Chinese and Vietnamese
shopping district.
The area is characterized by diverse
single-family neighborhoods, large
multi-family developments, and busy
shopping districts. The Alief ISD
school district serves the majority of
the Alief Super Neighborhood area.
Introduction
Site Location Map
1953 Aerial 1978 Aerial
Alief Railroad Depot, 1902
7
The Alief area was primarily rural
agricultural land until the 1960s when
development began to occur. In the
1860s the area now known as Alief
began as a town called Dairy at the
source of Brays Bayou. The area
was originally a fl ood-prone prairie.
In the 1900s the San Antonio and
Aransas Pass Rail Roads built a line
through Alief, and opened a train
depot in 1902, the depot site is now
the Alief Independent School District
stadium. According to the City of
Houston, during these same years a
dentist named Dr. John Magee and
his wife, Alief Ozelda Morris Magee,
History
1995 Aerial 2011 Aerial
settled in Dairy. Two years later, a
U.S. Post Offi ce was established in
Dairy. The post offi ce was located in
the Magee home, and Alief Magee
was named postmistress.
In 1897 Dairy was renamed Alief.
The population at that time was 25
residents. Alief Magee died in 1899.
She is buried in the Alief Cemetery
located at the corner of Bellaire
Boulevard and Dairy Ashford.
In 1911 the Alief Independent School
District was created and a 3-story
school was built. The fi rst high
school in Alief, Hastings High, was
named after the Hastings family,
who were storekeepers and served
as Alief’s postmasters. By 1940, the
school district had added 11th and
12th grades.
In 1977, after a decade of new
development, Houston began
annexing the areas of Alief that
are currently within the Super
Neighborhood boundaries.
Alief Aerial, 2011
9
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
located in southwest Houston and
encompasses fourteen square
miles. Alief is one of the largest and
most diverse super neighborhoods
in Houston. The area developed
beginning in the 1960s through to
the present. Alief is comprised of
numerous subdivisions that are
disconnected from one another and
operate like “islands.” Brays Bayou
fl ows through the northeast corner
of the neighborhood. The north
and east boundaries of the super
neighborhood are the Westpark
Tollway and Beltway 8. The south
boundary is West Bellfort, and on the
west the boundary is near Eldridge
and Synott Road. The neighborhood
is best known for the busy
Vietnamese and Chinese shopping
districts along Bellaire.
The major thoroughfares in the
neighborhood running east and west
are Bellaire, Beechnut, Bissonnet,
and Bellfort. Thoroughfares running
north and south include Wilcrest,
Kirkwood, and Dairy Ashford.
Context
ABOVE: Bellaire Boulevard RetailRIGHT: National Chains in Alief Photos by Alief Student Team
4
0
1
Figure Ground
11
Context
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
divided by major thoroughfares.
The north-south streets occur in
approximately half mile increments,
and the east-west thoroughfares
occur in approximately one mile
increments. The area’s subdivisions
connect at a limited number of points
to these thoroughfares, creating
islands of housing in the grid of
major streets, with each subdivision
disconnected from the next.
ABOVE: Street Pattern DiagramBELOW: Neighborhood Islands, 1-3
1
2
3
1 2 3
Commercial and Industrial Land Use Map Commercial Industrial
BELLAIRE
BISSONNET
13
Context
The Alief Super Neighborhood has
two major commercial corridors,
Bellaire and Bissonnet, which run
east and west through the community.
There is also a substantial amount
of commercial along Beltway 8
to the east. Industrial land uses
are concentrated in the southeast
corner of the neighborhood near
the intersection of Beltway 8 and
Highway 59.
Housing is distributed throughout
the area in small subdivisions, as
illustrated to the right. In many
ways these subdivisions operate like
“islands” with bridges to the major
thoroughfares. Multi-family housing
is interspersed throughout the area,
but is concentrated along the eastern
boundary.
Residential Land Use Multi-Family Single FamilyBELOW: Alief Photo by Alief Student Team
ABOVE: ParksBELOW: Photos of Arthur Storey Park, Alief Community Park, Boone Park, Harwin Park, and Hackberry ParkPhotos and Graphics by Alief Student Team
2
3
4
1
1. Arthur Storey Park2. Alief Community Park3. Boone Park4. Harwin Park5. Hackberry Park
Multifamily Housing Park Space
8,886,240
480
85.1
ALIEFTOTAL PARK SPACE (SF):
HOUSTON SUGGESTED PARK SPACE PER PERSON (SF):
ALIEF PARK SPACEPER PERSON (SF):
LEGEND:
5
15
Context
The Alief Super Neighborhood
has fi ve parks, Boone Park, Alief
Community Park, Harwin Park,
Hackberry Park, and the recently
developed Arthur Storey Park which
is in part a fl ood detention area.
The parks total 204 acres, or
approximately 85 square feet
per person. The City of Houston
recommends eleven acres of park per
1,000 residents, or 480 square feet
per resident. As a result, it is clear
that the Alief Super Neighborhood
has a substantial park land defi cit,
totalling nearly 1,000 acres below the
recommended standards.
In addition, each of the fi ve parks in
the area are in the northern section
of the neighborhood. For example,
from the intersection of Bellfort and
Kirkwood it is nearly three miles to
the nearest park.
Flood Zone Map 100 Year 500 Year BELOW: Arthur Storey Park
The risk of fl ooding along Brays Bayou is being mitigated by the
stormwater detention basin at Arthur Storey Park
17
Context
Nearly half of the Alief Super
Neighborhood is in the 100-year fl ood
zone, and an additional 25% is in
the 500-year fl ood zone. As a result
there are many drainage ditches and
right-of-ways that weave throughout
the community.
The recently developed Arthur Storey
Park is intended to relieve some of
the fl ooding risks in the area. The
Arthur Storey Park Stormwater
Detention Basin is designed to reduce
the risk of fl ooding for residents and
businesses along Brays Bayou, as
well as provide recreational amenities
and added greenspace to southwest
Houston. The park is just one
example of how the Harris County
Flood Control District is transforming
fl ood damage reduction projects into
multi-use facilities. The detention
basin, completed in 2008, has the
capacity to hold approximately
1.1 billion gallons of stormwater
during heavy rainfall events.
ABOVE: Bus RoutesBELOW: Drainage Ditch
OPPOSITE PAGE, Bottom Right: Alief 200’ High-Voltage
Utility EasementPhotos by Susan Rogers
To Energy Corridor To Energy Corridor
To Medical Centerand Downtown
To Downtown
To Medical Center
To Downtown
To Medical Centerand Downtown
To Eastwood and UH
Bellaire
Beechnut
Bissonnet
W. Bellfort
Dairy A
shfo
rd
Wilc
rest
65
8
68
2
132
4
1967
19
Context
The Alief Super Neighborhood has
a four-mile utility easement that runs
north and south. The easement is
over 200’ wide. The area also has
over eleven miles of drainage ditches
and fi ve miles of bayous. There are
plans to transform several of these
right-of-ways into trails connecting
schools, neighborhoods, and parks.
There are seven bus routes that
serve Alief, as illustrated below. The
routes connect the area to the Energy
Corridor to the north, Downtown, the
Medical Center, and the University of
Houston to the east. The Bellaire No.
2, which is one of the busiest routes
in the city, was recently designated by
METRO as a signature bus line.
RIGHT: Map of Utility Easements, Drainage Ditches, Parks, and Proposed and Potential Trails Parks Utility Easement Proposed Hike and Bike Trail (City of Houston) Potential Hike and Bike Trail
1990 2000 2009 1990 2000 2009
Total PopulationTT 86,699 97,183 104,445 1,630,672 1,954,848 2,191,400
Race/Ethnicity
White 47% 17% 12% 41% 31% 29%
Black/African-American 19% 28% 27% 28% 25% 23%
Asian 17% 20% 17% 4% 5% 6%
Hispanic 16% 31% 43% 27% 37% 41%
Other/Two or more racesTT 0% 3% 1% 0% 1% 1%
Age
Under 18 YearsYY 30% 32% 32% 27% 27% 27%
Over 65 YearsYY 3% 5% 6% 8% 8% 9%
Place of Birth
Foreign Born Residents 25% 40% 42% 31% 26% 28%
Means of Transportation to Work
Drove Alone 77% 75% 77% 72% 72% 74%
Carpooled 15% 16% 14% 15% 16% 14%
Public Transportation 4% 5% 5% 6% 6% 5%
Other (Walk, Bicycle, Work at Home, etc.) 5% 4% 5% 6% 5% 7%
Educational Attainment 25 Years+YY
No High School Diploma 16% 28% 30% 31% 30% 26%
High School Diploma/Some College 52% 45% 49% 43% 39% 41%
Associates Degree 7% 6% 4% 4% 4% 4%
Bachelors Degree 18% 15% 13% 15% 17% 18%
Graduate Degree 6% 6% 4% 7% 10% 10%
*Note: 1990 Data is for population 18 Years+YY
Median Household Income 32,267$ 36,743$ 35,849$ 26,261$ 36,616$ 42,797$
Percent of Houston's Median 123% 100% 84%
Percent of Population Below Poverty 11% 16% 23% 21% 19% 21%
Housing Units 35,924 32,874 37,620 726,402 782,378 924,224
TenureTT
Percent Owners 39% 47% 49% 45% 46% 47%
Percent Renters 61% 53% 51% 55% 54% 53%
Vacant Housing UnitsVV 11% 6% 13% 15% 8% 13%
Households without access to a vehicle 6% 8% 9% 24% 12% 10%
Persons per Household 2.7 3.2 3.2 2.6 2.7 2.7
Alief Houston
21
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
just over 14 square miles and home
to 104,445 people. The population
density of the area is approximately
7,400 people per square mile, over
twice the average population density
of the city of Houston.
Over the last twenty years the
population in the neighborhood
has increased by over 20%, where
Houston has grown by 34%.
There are several important
demographic changes that have
occurred in Alief over the last two
decades. For example, Alief’s
median household income in 1989
was far over the median for Houston,
in 1999 it was equal, but by 2009
the median household income in
Alief had fallen below Houston’s at
$35,849 compared to $42,797. In
addition, the percent of the population
in poverty has more than doubled in
Alief between 1989 and 2009.
Demographics
$25,000
$30,000
$35,000
$40,000
$45,000
1990 2000 2009
Median Household Income, 1990-2009 Alief Houston
OPPOSITE PAGE: Demographic Summary Table
Sources: 1990 Census, 2000 Census, 2009 American Community Survey
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
1990
2000
2009
White
Black/African-American
Asian
Hispanic
Change in Population Ethnicity, 1990-2009
Sources: 1990 and 2000 Census, 2009 American Community Survey
No High School Diploma
High School Diploma/Some
College
Associates Degree
Bachelors Degree
Graduate Degree
Educational Attainment, 1990-2009
Sources: 1990 and 2000 Census, 2009 American Community Survey
1990 2000 2009
23
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
one of the most ethnically diverse
areas in the city. Currently 12% of
the population is White, 27% Black
or African-American, 17% Asian,
43% Hispanic and 1% other or two
or more races. In 1990 over 47% of
the population was White and only
16% Hispanic. The Asian and Black/
African-American populations have
remained relatively unchanged as
a percent of the population. The
changes in ethnicity are illustrated in
the graph to the left.
Educational attainment for the
population over 25 years has also
changed substantially over the last
twenty years. In 1990 only 16% of
Alief residents did not have a high
school diploma, in 2009 the number
was 30%. Similarly, in 1990 31%
held an Associates degree or higher,
in 2009 only 21% had a college
degree.
Demographics
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
White
Asia
n
Bla
ck/A
fric
an-A
merican
His
panic
Oth
er
Tenure by Race of Householder, 1990-2009 Own Rent
Sources: 1990 and 2000 Census, 2009 American Community Survey
1990
2000
2009
1990
2000
2009
1990
2000
2009
1990
2000
2009
1990
2000
2009
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
4531
4532
4533
4525
4529
4534
4528
4536
ABOVE: Census TractsBELOW: Poverty, Place of Birth, and Income, 2009(Ordered by Median Household Income)
Source: 2009 American Community Survey
Poverty
Born Outside U.S.
Median HH Income
4527
4534
4536
4525
4528
4535
4530
4526
4537
4531
4524
4533
4523
4538
4532
4529
25
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
4530
4537
4524
4535
4527
4526
4523
4538
Alief is a gateway community, where
many new immigrants are settling.
42% of the population in Alief was
born outside of the U.S.—much
higher than Houston’s overall rate
of 28%. And while the economic
success of Alief’s residents has
diminished over the last twenty years,
there is no relationship between
being born outside the U.S. and
median household income or poverty,
as indicated in the chart at the bottom
of this page. This suggests that Alief
provides opportunities to succeed to
nearly all residents, both old and new.
Demographics
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Alief
Houston
White
Bla
ck/A
fric
an-A
merican
Asia
n
His
panic
Oth
er/
Tw
o o
r m
ore
races
Population Ethnicity, 2009 Alief HoustonSource: 2009 American Community Survey
0
$50,000
$100,000
$150,000
$200,000
9 10
Beltw
ay 8
Hig
hw
ay 6
27
Median Household Income 2000
Median Household Income 2009
Bellaire | Holcombe
610
Main
St.
HoustonMedian Household Income 2009$42,797
Alief, like many similar communities
outside the center of the city, has
seen very little income growth
over the last ten years. While, in
contrast, many areas inside Loop
610 have seen large gains in
income. The graph below charts
median household income in both
2000 and 2009 for the census tracts
that intersect Bellaire Boulevard/
Holcombe from Highway 6 on the
west to Main Street on the east.
Demographics
As the chart indicates, median
household incomes outside Loop
610 have remained relatively fl at for
the last ten years, while incomes
inside Loop 610 have increased
substantially, some tracts by over
$50,000 annually.
Map of Opportunity Sites
Bellaire Blvd.
29
The Alief Super Neighborhood is one
of the most diverse communities in
the city, and this diversity is refl ected
throughout. The area is a destination
for shoppers and diners from all
over the city. It also has stable
neighborhoods, where a very high
percentage of residents own their
own homes. But, there is increasing
evidence that the area is not fairing
as well as other parts of Houston.
Median household incomes are
stagnant and educational attainment
is declining.
We have identifi ed four opportunities
to explore in Alief. The fi rst is the
Opportunities
extensive network of right-of-ways
and easements, this system has
the potential to connect across the
community and generate innovative
programming ideas. The second
opportunity is four specifi c infi ll sites
that are connected to this network,
the sites are undeveloped. The
third is an opportunity to re-think
the retail strip center, its relationship
to the street, and to civic spaces.
And fi nally, we would like to explore
the increasingly pressing issue of
distressed mutli-family housing and
the potential solutions, strategies,
and interventions that might improve
conditions.
Families
Singles
Seniors
Children
Teenagers
Retail
Senior Living
Multi-Family
Community Garden
Park
Playground
Health
Education
Midnight
Noon
6am6pm ALIEF
Retail
Senior Living
Multi-Family
Community Garden
Park
Playground
Health
Education
Diagram of Users and Potential ProgramsGraphics by Alief Student Team
Map of Utility Easements, Drainage Ditches, Bayous, Schools, and
Parks
Landis E.S.
Owens I.S.
Horn E.S.
ChancellorE.S.
Harwin Park
Arthur Storey Park
Mahany E.S.
Killough M.S.
Boone Park
Alief Community Park
Hackberry Park
Youngblood I.S.
Kennedy E.S.Holub M.S.Mata I.S.
Boone E.S.Olle M.S.
Alief M.S.Elsik Ninth Grade
Elsik H.S.Hastings Ninth
GradeHastings H.S.
31
The Alief Super Neighborhood is
crossed with numerous right-of-ways,
including utility easements, drainage
ditches, and bayous. Specifi cally, a
200’ wide high-voltage easement runs
north and south for approximately
four miles through the community
and connects several schools. The
area also has over eleven miles
of drainage ditches and fi ve miles
of bayous that fl ow predominantly
from west to east. The two northern
ditches connect schools and
community parks on the west with the
new Arthur Storey Park on the east,
and are included in the current City of
Houston Bikeway Plan.
There are several other ditches
that are not included in the current
Bikeway plan but that would add
signifi cantly to the connectivity of the
area, including the utility easement.
In addition, fi nding programming that
is appropriate for these right-of-ways
will be key to ensuring that they are
well-used and become a valuable
asset for the community.
Opportunities
Right-of-Ways
?
ABOVE: Diagram of Right-of-WaysBELOW: Potential Programs for Right-of-Ways
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4
Bellaire
Kir
kw
oo
d
33
Opportunities
Infi ll Sites
LEFT: Plan of Infi ll SitesRIGHT: Infi ll Sites
Four infi ll sites have been identifi ed
that provide opportunities for new
and mixed programming in the
neighborhood.
Site 1 straddles Bellaire Boulevard
to the south and the proposed hike
and bike trail to the north. This site
provides an opportunity to consider
how housing might be mixed with
retail in the area. Site 2 is adjacent
to Hong Kong City Mall, between
Boone Road and Wilcrest. This site
directly connects to the proposed
trails along the utility easement and
has the potential for many new uses,
including housing. Site 3 is just
south of Beechnut between Boone
Road on the west and Wilcrest on the
east. The open site is adjacent to the
largest concentration of multi-family
housing in the area. Finally, Site 4
is a former golf course that could
potentially be transformed into a park
and additional civic or community
uses. The large site is located in the
center of the community.
?
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4
TOP: Potential Strip Mall SectionBOTTOM: Existing Strip Mall Section
Photos and Graphics: Alief Student Team
35
BUILDING LOT
BELLAIRE BLVD
Opportunities
Strip malls dominate the Bellaire
corridor from just outside of the 610
Loop west to Highway 6, just past
the Alief Super Neighborhood. The
strip malls are diverse in use with
restaurants, police storefronts, and
services such as banking and retail
shopping. The strip malls share
in common very large parking lots
that occur along the street. As a
result each of the malls is an island,
TOP: Diagram of Strip Mall Buildings and Parking Lots along BellaireBOTTOM, Left: Existing Strip Mall Parking BOTTOM, Right: Montage of Potential Parking
spaces become more than just
commercial centers, but social
gathering places as well.
The diagram below highlights the
relationship of building to parking lot
along Bellaire.
disconnected from the adjacent malls
and surrounding context, and diffi cult
to negotiate as a pedestrian.
Developing new strategies or
ordinances for the relationship
between strip malls, parking, and
the street edge could work to re-link
these separate entities. In addition,
developing programming for strip
center parking lots could help these
Strip Malls
?
Photos and Graphics: Alief Student Team
ABOVE, Left: Map of Multi-Family Housing
RIGHT, Top: Aerial View of Multi-Family Housing
BOTTOM, Right: Multi-Family Renovation Project in Alief
Photos by Susan Rogers
37
Opportunities
Multi-Family Retrofi tting
Distressed multi-family housing,
particularly units constructed in the
1970s, is becoming an increasingly
common community concern.
We ask whether instead these
developments could be considered
an opportunity to re-think how we do
large-scale housing development,
how we might intervene in existing
developments, or add new
programming to support residents.
This is an important question that
is being explored throughout the
Houston region. As a result we feel
that the conditions in Alief provide
an opportunity to explore potential
new futures for aging multi-family
apartments throughout Houston.
Alief is already home to a number
of innovative programs that are
working to provide resources to
multi-family residents. Among these
is the organization Texans Together,
which provides tutoring, after-school
programs, and other resources to
youth.
39
ParticipantsCommunity Design WorkshopUniversity of HoustonCollege of ArchitectureStudent Team, Spring 2011Pratik EmonMike CutulleCarolyn GlennKim McGrathCourtney Widacki*This document is largely based on research prepared by students in
Spring 2011
Community Design Resource CenterUniversity of Houston Susan Rogers, DirectorRafael Longoria, Project Co-DirectorMaria Oran, Senior Research Assistant
Nahid S. Haimonty, Research Assistant
Community StakeholdersBrian BurksNatali LacasaGretchen LarsonKaren LoperMike MauerBarbara Quattro
Professional Guests and CriticsKeiji Asakura Antoine BryantRobert BurrowsJulia MandellZakcq LokremPatricia Oliver, Dean
Bradley Wray, Councilman Rodriguez’ Offi ce
SponsorsThe Collaborative Community Design Initiative is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with fi nancial and in-kind support from the Greater Houston Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Community Design Resource Center, the Gerald. D. Hines College of Architecture, and the generous commitment of time from stakeholders and professionals across Houston.
We would like to thank all of our partners and supporters.
Participants and Sponsors
