D E N V E R h a r b o r
D E N V E R h a r b o r
FUENTES, juan pablo HOLLON, ashley MARTINEZ, noe
the COMMUNITY
Timeline
1910-1920
1960’s
mexican revolution
chicano movement (mexican american empowerment)
1929
city of houston annexes denver harbor and houston harbor communities
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
19
1911
denver harbor platted
1965
interstate (I-10) constructed through denver harbor
1
1890
denver harbor first settled
1927
wheatley highschool is one of the largest black highschools in the U.S.
shell moves cor headquar ho
2001
new multi-service community center at selena park opens
60’s
ment rican ment)
2006
new wheatley highschool campus built at 4801 providence st.
1971
median family income for U.S. is $7688
0
1970
1980
2000
1990
2010
today
1977
1965
joe campos torres beat to death by cops at buffalo bayou
tate (I-10) d through ver harbor
1971
shell oil co. moves corporate headquarters to houston
1978
riots in moody park
1995
houston city council renames denver harbor park to selena quintanilla perez park
2002,2003,2004
denver harbor allstars win three consecutive district championships
Interstate 10
1953 - Before I-10
Interestate 10 slices through Denver Harbor like a swollen scar for an improperly cared for wound. Railroad tracks surround it -they are the structures holding our wounds together. The healing process is never ending. People are contained within by the less visible barriers of poverty and comunidad. Louis Gerard Mendoza
Historia: The Literary Making of Chicana and Chicano History
1978 - After I-10
HIGHWAY EFFECTS
DENVER HARBOR > I-10 bisects Denver Harbor, creating a physical boundary that divides the community. Pedestrian bridges act as connectors that integrate the north and south of the community. Also, I-10 did not prompt a new scale of retail box store on its frontage roads as highways usually do. Building units have being modified or constructed throughout a mostly residential neighborhood.
MEMORIAL / SPRING BRANCH > At Memorial and Spring Branch, building footprints along I-10 are composed of various large buildings and lot sizes like hospitals, churches, or restaurants. The scale changes to be more residential further away from the highways. The highway access and commercial marketing these big box retailers receive by placing themselves along the heavily travelled I-10 is a common trend in western cities. But Denver Harbor remains primarily unchanged along I-10’s. Residential scale boarders it descpite I-10’s
Modified Possibly modified New Existing Demolished Unknown
The development of Interstate 10 (I-10) across Houston has affected communities adjacent to it differently.
POPULATION
4,177,646
3,322,025
2,754,304
1,903,191
1,364,569
Like other historical east side neighborhoods in Houston, Denver Harbor’s population continued to increase up until the 1970’s. Houston’s general population continued to increase an average of 32.6 % every ten years and in 1970 it was at 1,903,191. However when it became popular to move to the suburbs and move away from the cities after World War II, Denver Harbor was one of many neighborhoods close to downtown to lose 13,000 of its inhabitants between 1970 and 1990. During the 90’s and 2000’s, Denver Harbor’s population evened out to around 25,000 people.
PERCENT INCREASE HOUSTON 1960-1970
39.47%
1970-1980
44.72%
1980-1990
20.61%
1990-2000
25.76%
2000-TODAY 1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
26.1%
Population DENVER HARBOR 42,500
36,461
37,500
23,214
27,500
24,735
23,493
32,500
22,500
17,974
17,500
7,500
6,369
12,500
2,500 1940
1950
1970
1990
Year
2000
2010
DEMOGRAPHICS 91% Hispanic or Latino
MEDIAN AGE
5% White - non Hispanic
30.0 yrs
3% Black - non Hispanic
32.9 yrs
1% Asian and other non Hispanic *these are estimates from Community Health Profiles 2003 Dept. of Health and Human Services
DENVER HARBOR HARRIS COUNTY
MOBILITY Distance to Work
DISTANCE TO WORK
work at home
Denver Harbor Harris County
1/2 hr hr ++ 1 11/2
1 hr -1 hr 1 hr - 11/2 1/2 hr
40-59 40-59 min min Houston Denver Harbor 30-39 min min 30-39
20-29 20-29 min min
10-19 10-19 min min
10 min min >>10
0% 0%
5%
10%
15% 15%
20%
25%
30% 30%
35%
Transportation MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION
Other / Work at home Other / Work at home
Walk
Walk
Public Transit Public
Transit
Car/Truck/Van
Car, Truck Van
0% 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50% 50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100% 100%
HOUSING Denver Harbor’s average cost per square foot for a single family home is quite comparable to other typical Houston suburbs like Pearland or Pasadena. Compared to Denver Harbor’s close proximity to downtown, both Pasadena and Pearland are considerably further from Houston’s downtown and well outside loop 610. This could be an opportunity for Denver Harbor to embrace its accessibility to Houston’s core amenities and the low to average house values in order to provide incentives for its residents.
MEDIAN HOUSE VALUE
UNITED S TAT E S $173,600 HARRIS COUNTY $131,700 DENVER HARBOR $63,108
DENVER HARBOR MEDIAN HOUSE SIZE: 1,119 sft for $63,108
PEARLAND MEDIAN HOUSE SIZE: 1,148 sft for $75,060
EAST PASADENA MEDIAN HOUSE SIZE: 1,107 sft for $51,487
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
OCCUPATION The people of Denver Harbor are primarily employed in production, transportation and material moving occupations followed by management / professional occupations. Management related positions are the most common occupation today in both Houston and Texas. Although Production / Transport / Material Moving is the least in Houston and Texas, these occupations are the most prevalent in Denver Harbor.
Occupation Denver Harbor
Management Professional 25%
Construction Extraction Maintenance 15%
Sales / Office 16%
Production Transportation Material Moving 27%
Service 19% DENVER HARBOR
Occupation Texas Personal Care Service 3% Production ocupations Building / Grounds cleaning 6% 4%
Protective Services 2%
Construction Extraction Maintenance 10%
Food Prep / Serving 6%
Sales / Office 11%
Healthcare 5%
Production Transportation Material Moving 6%
TEXAS
Office / Admin 14%
Management Professional 32%
Farming Fishing Forestry 1%
Occupation Harris County / Greater Houston
Construction Extraction Maintenance 12%
Management Professional 33%
Sales / Office 25%
Production Transportation Material Moving 13%
Service 17%
HOUSTON
UNEMPLOYMENT + POVERTY IN THE 1990’S THE DROP IN THE PRICE OF OIL CAUSED UNEMPLOYMENT IN MANY CITIES TO RISE. MANY DENVER HARBOR RESIDENTS AT THE TIME WERE EMPLOYED BY OIL RELATED INDUSTRIES.
Un 18%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
25 % OF DENVER HARBOR’S P O P U L AT I O N LIVES UNDER THE POVERTY
4%
2%
0%
1940
1950
1960
1970
60
PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT OVER TIME Unemployment
Denver Harbor Harris County / Greater Houston Texas US
1970
1980
1990
2000
2006-2010
HEALTH
5m in
10 mi nu t
lk wa es
Denver Harbor Clinic walk es ut
Medical Center East
Lyons Health Center Fifth Ward Pregnancy Help Center
RENTER vs OWNER People in Denver Harbor own their own homes at a higher percentage than the rest of the county and the rest of the state. This is probably due to the fact that most of Denver Harbor consists of single family housing and very little multifamily housing such as apartment complexes where people typically rent.
PERCENT OF POPULATION WHO
63%
OWN
THEIR HOME
55%
58%
63%
55%
58%
DENVER HARBOR
HARRIS COUNTY
TEXAS
PERCENT OF POPULATION WHO
37% 37% DENVER HARBOR
RENT
45% 45% HARRIS COUNTY
THEIR HOME
42% 42% TEXAS
TAX DELINQUENT PROPERTIES Tax delinquent properties in Denver Harbor are not a major problem when compared with Fifth Ward. !
In Denver Harbor most of these type of properties are located on spots where the Industrial zone or the railroad buffers them from the rest of the community. The highest density of vacant lots are located in the same spots where there is a greater number of tax delinquent properties. !
Tax delinquent properties Vacant lots !
!
!
!
LAND USE
The predominant land use in Denver Harbor is residential. Heavy and light industrial is located to the south near Buffalo Bayou and northeast. Retail establishments are located mainly along Lyons Avenue, a well-traveled street where most business commerce occurs.
Single-Family Residential Multi-Family Residential Commercial Office Industrial Institutional Parks
NODES
inutes walk 5m
inutes walk 10 m
Fiesta
Selena Park
There are two main nodes in Denver Harbor, Fiesta Mart and Selena Quintanilla Park. Both nodes are half a mile away from each other, Fiesta on the north by the commercial area while the park is located south surrounded by a residential area. Both places are situated in the center of residential areas and cover a large portion of its residents in a 10 minute walking distance. Walking distance is calculated by 5 minutes per Âź of mile.
AMENITIES ON LYONS Restaurant Grocery Store Convenient Store Shopping Phone Services Personal Services Dental Services Entertainment Washateria Pawn Shop/Checks Cashing Car Dealer Car Wash Auto Services Gas Station Library Clinic Fire Station
Lyons Avenue
I-10
Lyons Avenue is a highly commercial street, about 2 miles long of retail establishments. The bigger retail establishments are located in the western portion adjacent to Fifth Ward. Major Establishments include Fiesta, Fallas Paredes, Melrose, and RadioShack.
WALKING DISTANCES
1/2 mile
1 mile
Franco’s
Sol Super Market
GROCERY STORE CONVENIENCE STORE
Fiesta Mart is a major grocery store in Denver Harbor, located at least a mile away from the majority of its residents. The convenience stores are spread evenly throughout the neighborhood, at a desirable walking distance.
Matamoros Meat Market
COMMUNITY EDGES
I-10
Denver Harbor is characterized by the railroad tracks all around creating a visible outline that encloses the neighborhood and limits the entrances to the neighborhood. I-10 passes through the neighborhood, creating a notable edge that separates the north and south. And in the south, Buffalo Bayou along with the industries creates
ffa Bu
you Ba lo
BUS ROUTES + PARKS
Denver Harbor is well served by the Metro system. It has stops along Lyon’s Avenue, a commercial and retail corridor and around Selena Park. Moreover, Denver Harbor houses a transit station providing the community with an easy connection to Downtown and employment centers.
DOWNTOWN TRANSIT CENTER
30 Cullen/Clinton 11 Nance/Alemda 80 Lyons/Downling 26/27 Inner/Out Loop crosstown 48 Eest Dallas/Navigation 42 Hollman/Crosstown 52 Scott/Hirsch
WHEELER TRANSIT CENTER
EASTWOOD T
FIFTH WARD / DENVER HARBOR TRANSIT CENTER
MAGNOLIATRANSIT CENTER
EASTWOOD TRANSIT CENTER
EVENNESS
Denver Harbor’s building footprint is quite unique because there is a strict grid that organizes the built environment. The only factor that breaks this rhythm is I-10. Communities like University, Sharpstown, and Third Ward show how uneven the building footprints are around different Houston neighborhoods.
DENVER HARBOR
UNIVERSITY
SHARPSTOWN
3RD WARD
EVENNESS In 35 years, almost nothing has changed in Denver Harbor in terms of density and keeping a consistent residential scale. This helps support the idea that Denver Harbor has permanence and favors a family-friendly scale over commercialism and change.
1974 - FIGURE GROUND
2010 - FIGURE GROUND
TRASH DUMPING
The typical dumping sites in Denver Harbor occur primarily in the lesser traveled industrial zones or right at the edges of residential neighborshoods.
DEPOSITORIES
DENVER PICK UP
HARBOR
TRASH
1ST TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH - JUNK / WASTE COLLECTION EVERY FRIDAY - AUTOMATED WASTE PICK UP RECYCLING - FINNEGAN PARK, SELENA PARK, WHEATLY HIGHSCHOOL
the PARK
DENVER HARBOR PARK clearly has become a central urban space for the community of Denver Harbor. Different of programs are embedded in this park making it active during the day, and throughout the year. The Park provides the community with a public green space where its members interact and relax.
modified possibly modified new existing demolished unknown
PARK CONTEXT
WEST ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION
EAST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
PEDESTRIAN CONNECTORS Pedestrian bridges crossing over I-10 are a notorious feature of Denver Harbor. The bridges address the need to connect the north and south of Denver Harbor. However, access to to such bridges has not being formally addressed. “Desired Pathways” form part of the landscape surrounding the entry/exit of such bridges. The bridges are therefore a essential element to the life of the neighborhood . They provide astonishing views of downtown delineated by I-10, Houston’s major artery.
WEST PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
MELROSE
FALLAS PAREDES
FIESTA
I-10
POST OFFICE
NORTH ENTRANCE
The west bridge is the most frequented one because of its proximity to Fiesta, the biggest and only supermarket in the neighborhood. Lyon’s Avenue, with its small commercial/retail stores is also adjacent to the bridge, making this bridge an essential part of life in Denver Harbor.
SOUTH ENTRANCE
EAST PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
SARCO ENTERPRISE
PERIKO AUTO SALES
NORTH ENTRANCE
The east bridge is the least frequented one. It is accessed through stairs, unlike the west bridge that sits on the ground making it wheel-chair friendly.
SOUTH ENTRANCE