Colonias (USA) - Revision history

Editor2018 at 08:48, 7 May 2021

2021-05-07T08:48:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:48, 7 May 2021
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	Colonias face many challenges. The policy emphasis has continued to prioritise the building of infrastructure able to improve the quality of life, such as enabling direct access to potable water, paving roads, provisioning drainage, street lighting and trash collection, and removing wastewater and contaminants. Infrastructure improvements are sporadic and evolving affairs—the gains of which are distributed unequally among ''colonias'' dependent upon local organizing and political will and influence. For example, South Texas-based community organizations La Unión del Pueblo Entero and ARISE have assisted more than 25 ''colonia'' communities in securing street lighting since 2016 (Taylor, 2019). They have done so by organizing committed ''colonia'' residents at the grassroots level and by exerting public pressure, presence, and plans at government meetings of county officials.		Colonias face many challenges. The policy emphasis has continued to prioritise the building of infrastructure able to improve the quality of life, such as enabling direct access to potable water, paving roads, provisioning drainage, street lighting and trash collection, and removing wastewater and contaminants. Infrastructure improvements are sporadic and evolving affairs—the gains of which are distributed unequally among ''colonias'' dependent upon local organizing and political will and influence. For example, South Texas-based community organizations La Unión del Pueblo Entero and ARISE have assisted more than 25 ''colonia'' communities in securing street lighting since 2016 (Taylor, 2019). They have done so by organizing committed ''colonia'' residents at the grassroots level and by exerting public pressure, presence, and plans at government meetings of county officials.

	Ongoing crises in access to healthcare and health insurance, poverty and public safety are more difficult to address by policy. More than two-thirds of ''colonia'' residents lack health insurance and half of ''colonia'' households earn below the poverty line (Barton et al. 2015). In contrast to urban neighbourhoods in South Texas with comparable low incomes, ''colonias'' report lower rates of crime (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). This finding is remarkable, given that ''colonias'' receive very little public protection and public services. Half of all ''colonia'' residents engage in seasonal migratory work in the agricultural fields or in informal work, which suggests that ''colonia'' income-earners would benefit from supplemental, complementary or alternative work arrangements (Barton et al. 2015). Half of ''colonia'' residents also lack a high school education or proficiency in English (Barton et al., 2015). Improving educational access and adult education, including English language training may reduce pronounced gaps in fuller participation in the larger economy and society.		Ongoing crises in access to healthcare and health insurance, poverty and public safety are more difficult to address by policy. More than two-thirds of ''colonia'' residents lack health insurance and half of ''colonia'' households earn below the poverty line (Barton et al. 2015). In contrast to urban neighbourhoods in South Texas with comparable low incomes, ''colonias'' report lower rates of crime (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). This finding is remarkable, given that ''colonias'' receive very little public protection and public services. Half of all ''colonia'' residents engage in seasonal migratory work in the agricultural fields or in informal work, which suggests that ''colonia'' income-earners would benefit from supplemental, complementary or alternative work arrangements (Barton et al., 2015). Half of ''colonia'' residents also lack a high school education or proficiency in English (Barton et al., 2015). Improving educational access and adult education, including English language training may reduce pronounced gaps in fuller participation in the larger economy and society.

	The stigmas of living in ''colonia'' communities and the infrastructure challenges are addressed by the residents with relying on a shared culture and strong familial ties. More permanent solutions to problems faced by ''colonias'' may come in the form of increasing public awareness and investing in meaningful immigration reform (Richardson and Pisani, 2017).		The stigmas of living in ''colonia'' communities and the infrastructure challenges are addressed by the residents with relying on a shared culture and strong familial ties. More permanent solutions to problems faced by ''colonias'' may come in the form of increasing public awareness and investing in meaningful immigration reform (Richardson and Pisani, 2017).

Editor2018 at 08:46, 7 May 2021

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:46, 7 May 2021
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	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
	\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\|''Colonias'' (singular: ''colonia'') are informal, self-built housing units typically clustered together in unregulated and unincorporated subdivisions in the Southwestern United States – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Donelson and Esparza 2010, Esparza and Donelson, 2016). This low-income housing is often located outside the formal city limits and is characterized by deficient infrastructure (e.g. water, roads, electricity, health, police, street lighting, wastewater and trash removal), lack of regulations or enforcement (e.g. zoning, building codes), poverty and health challenges, and land title ambiguity (Donelson and Esparza, 2010). The primary residents of ''colonias'' are people with contemporary or historical familial ties to Mexico. The majority of ''colonias'' were built in the post-World War II era. The name translates to community, neighbourhood or suburb from Spanish (Ward 1999) and originates from low-income urban ''colonia'' neighbourhoods in Mexico. The legacy of ''colonias'' in Mexico facilitated the development of ''colonias'' in the US.		\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\|''Colonias'' (singular: ''colonia'') are informal, self-built housing units typically clustered together in unregulated and unincorporated subdivisions in the Southwestern United States – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Donelson and Esparza 2010, Esparza and Donelson, 2016). This low-income housing is often located outside the formal city limits and is characterized by deficient infrastructure (e.g. water, roads, electricity, health, police, street lighting, wastewater and trash removal), lack of regulations or enforcement (e.g. zoning, building codes), poverty and health challenges, and land title ambiguity (Donelson and Esparza, 2010). The primary residents of ''colonias'' are people with contemporary or historical familial ties to Mexico. The majority of ''colonias'' were built in the post-World War II era. The name translates to community, neighbourhood or suburb from Spanish (Ward, 1999) and originates from low-income urban ''colonia'' neighbourhoods in Mexico. The legacy of ''colonias'' in Mexico facilitated the development of ''colonias'' in the US.
	\|}		\|}

Editor2018 at 08:46, 7 May 2021

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← Older revision		Revision as of 08:46, 7 May 2021
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	\| nameofpractice = Colonias		\| nameofpractice = Colonias
	\| flagemoji = 🇺🇸		\| flagemoji = 🇺🇸
	\| definition = Informal settlements housing migrant populations in unincorporated and unregulated areas.		\| definition = Informal settlements housing migrant populations in unincorporated and unregulated areas
	\| location = USA		\| location = USA
	\| imagemap = USA map.png		\| imagemap = USA map.png
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	{\| class="wikitable"		{\| class="wikitable"
	\|-		\|-
	\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\|''Colonias'' (singular: ''colonia'') are informal, self-built housing units typically clustered together in unregulated and unincorporated subdivisions in the Southwestern United States – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Donelson and Esparza 2010, Esparza and Donelson 2016). This low-income housing is often located outside the formal city limits and is characterized by deficient infrastructure (e.g. water, roads, electricity, health, police, street lighting, wastewater and trash removal), lack of regulations or enforcement (e.g. zoning, building codes), poverty and health challenges, and land title ambiguity (Donelson and Esparza 2010). The primary residents of ''colonias'' are people with contemporary or historical familial ties to Mexico. The majority of ''colonias'' were built in the post-World War II era. The name translates to community, neighbourhood or suburb from Spanish (Ward 1999) and originates from low-income urban ''colonia'' neighbourhoods in Mexico. The legacy of ''colonias'' in Mexico facilitated the development of ''colonias'' in the US.		\|style="font-size:1.1em;"\|''Colonias'' (singular: ''colonia'') are informal, self-built housing units typically clustered together in unregulated and unincorporated subdivisions in the Southwestern United States – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Donelson and Esparza 2010, Esparza and Donelson, 2016). This low-income housing is often located outside the formal city limits and is characterized by deficient infrastructure (e.g. water, roads, electricity, health, police, street lighting, wastewater and trash removal), lack of regulations or enforcement (e.g. zoning, building codes), poverty and health challenges, and land title ambiguity (Donelson and Esparza, 2010). The primary residents of ''colonias'' are people with contemporary or historical familial ties to Mexico. The majority of ''colonias'' were built in the post-World War II era. The name translates to community, neighbourhood or suburb from Spanish (Ward 1999) and originates from low-income urban ''colonia'' neighbourhoods in Mexico. The legacy of ''colonias'' in Mexico facilitated the development of ''colonias'' in the US.
	\|}		\|}

	A geographic concentration of Southwestern ''colonias'' is prominent in South Texas, especially along the US-Mexico border. More than 1,500 ''colonias'' in South Texas (Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2019) house an estimated 400,000 residents, or nearly 20% of the local population (Richardson and Pisani 2017). ''Colonias'' in South Texas evolved out of worker camps on larger ranches and farms. Flood- and hurricane-prone areas, less suitable for agriculture, were subdivided into smaller plots by the landowners and sold to Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Since the plots fell outside the city borders where building codes were not as stringently enforced, the residents manoeuvred around them to build their housing informally. ''Colonias'' were also a springboard for engaging in other informal economic activities (Richardson and Pisani 2012).		A geographic concentration of Southwestern ''colonias'' is prominent in South Texas, especially along the US-Mexico border. More than 1,500 ''colonias'' in South Texas (Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, 2019) house an estimated 400,000 residents, or nearly 20% of the local population (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). ''Colonias'' in South Texas evolved out of worker camps on larger ranches and farms. Flood- and hurricane-prone areas, less suitable for agriculture, were subdivided into smaller plots by the landowners and sold to Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Since the plots fell outside the city borders where building codes were not as stringently enforced, the residents manoeuvred around them to build their housing informally. ''Colonias'' were also a springboard for engaging in other informal economic activities (Richardson and Pisani 2012).

	~~The poverty that envelops South~~ Texas ~~facilitates the existence of ''colonias'' (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1996)~~. ~~In 2017, about one-third of the population and approximately half of children lived below the poverty line (Richardson and Pisani, 2017)~~. The creation and persistence of ''colonia'' housing outside of the city borders is a low-income housing strategy that mitigates homelessness and overcrowding, allowing a pathway to homeownership to those on the margins of the economy. ~~Deposits for plots of land, as low as $50-$100 for a property lot with a price of $10,000 ease entry into ''colonia'' communities (Durst and Ward 2014)~~. ~~Median price for a ''colonia'' housing hovers around $40,000 for completed homes (Durst and Ward 2014)~~.		[[File: Colonia_1.PNG\|thumb\|300px\|left\|Colonia home in Hidalgo County, Texas. Source: Jenny L. Chamberlain. © Jenny L. Chamberlain.]]

	''Colonias'' are a conduit for informal economic activities, a social and cultural sanctuary and point toward a failure of formal housing systems. Economic survival in ''colonias'' is often tied with an engagement in informal work and entrepreneurship (Richardson and Pisani 2012). Since ''colonias'' housing is cheap, it often attracts the most vulnerable—the undocumented who cannot legally work (about 30% of ''colonia'' residents, Barton et al. 2015). But a shared Mexican heritage and identity facilitates social and cultural bonding. ''Colonia'' residents assist one another in building their homes, provide safety and care to residents and help to access extended social and family networks (Richardson and Pisani 2017). The formal housing market in South Texas is beyond the financial reach of many. There are few public resources devoted to providing public housing, highlighting the inadequate social safety net for housing needs.		The poverty that envelops South Texas facilitates the existence of ''colonias'' (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, 1996). In 2017, about one-third of the population and approximately half of children lived below the poverty line (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). The creation and persistence of ''colonia'' housing outside of the city borders is a low-income housing strategy that mitigates homelessness and overcrowding, allowing a pathway to homeownership to those on the margins of the economy. Deposits for plots of land, as low as $50-$100 for a property lot with a price of $10,000 ease entry into ''colonia'' communities (Durst and Ward, 2014). Median price for a ''colonia'' housing hovers around $40,000 for completed homes (Durst and Ward, 2014).

			''Colonias'' are a conduit for informal economic activities, a social and cultural sanctuary and point toward a failure of formal housing systems. Economic survival in ''colonias'' is often tied with an engagement in informal work and entrepreneurship (Richardson and Pisani, 2012). Since ''colonias'' housing is cheap, it often attracts the most vulnerable—the undocumented who cannot legally work (about 30% of ''colonia'' residents, Barton et al., 2015). But a shared Mexican heritage and identity facilitates social and cultural bonding. ''Colonia'' residents assist one another in building their homes, provide safety and care to residents and help to access extended social and family networks (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). The formal housing market in South Texas is beyond the financial reach of many. There are few public resources devoted to providing public housing, highlighting the inadequate social safety net for housing needs.

	The existence of ''colonias'' also point to deficient regulation. Land development projects often receive insufficient level of formal scrutiny, leading to deficient infrastructure, missing property sales records, insufficient enforcement of the building code and exploitative financing schemes. The most notorious such scheme was the ‘contract-for-deed’ property sale, in which the seller retained ownership of the property until the final payment and denied access to the accumulated equity before (this is now illegal).		The existence of ''colonias'' also point to deficient regulation. Land development projects often receive insufficient level of formal scrutiny, leading to deficient infrastructure, missing property sales records, insufficient enforcement of the building code and exploitative financing schemes. The most notorious such scheme was the ‘contract-for-deed’ property sale, in which the seller retained ownership of the property until the final payment and denied access to the accumulated equity before (this is now illegal).

	Since the mid-1990s, the Texas state government has made efforts to understand and ameliorate offenses, failures in infrastructure and exploitative financing, but more work is needed (Richardson and Pisani 2017, 2012). ''Colonias'' are paradoxes for public policymakers. On the one hand, ''colonias'' can be seen as a free market supply-based response to excess housing demand in border communities. Informal housing has not only offered a solution to a lack of affordable housing stock (Giusti 2008) but has also pushed homeownership rates among ''colonia'' dwellers to 72 percent, nearly ten percentage points above the Texas state average (Richardson and Pisani 2017). Rates such as these may help portray the government as absolved of its financial responsibility to help those in need of housing. On the other hand, ''colonias'' can be viewed as blight—a scourge of unregulated housing that encourages crime, disease, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment and settlements of undocumented populations—that need to be reduced or eliminated. Many public officials denounce ''colonias'' as eyesores that impede local economic development (Richardson and Pisani 2012).		Since the mid-1990s, the Texas state government has made efforts to understand and ameliorate offenses, failures in infrastructure and exploitative financing, but more work is needed (Richardson and Pisani 2017, 2012). ''Colonias'' are paradoxes for public policymakers. On the one hand, ''colonias'' can be seen as a free market supply-based response to excess housing demand in border communities. Informal housing has not only offered a solution to a lack of affordable housing stock (Giusti, 2008) but has also pushed homeownership rates among ''colonia'' dwellers to 72 percent, nearly ten percentage points above the Texas state average (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). Rates such as these may help portray the government as absolved of its financial responsibility to help those in need of housing. On the other hand, ''colonias'' can be viewed as blight—a scourge of unregulated housing that encourages crime, disease, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment and settlements of undocumented populations—that need to be reduced or eliminated. Many public officials denounce ''colonias'' as eyesores that impede local economic development (Richardson and Pisani, 2012).

	Colonias face many challenges. The policy emphasis has continued to prioritise the building of infrastructure able to improve the quality of life, such as enabling direct access to potable water, paving roads, provisioning drainage, street lighting and trash collection, and removing wastewater and contaminants. Infrastructure improvements are sporadic and evolving affairs—the gains of which are distributed unequally among ''colonias'' dependent upon local organizing and political will and influence. For example, South Texas-based community organizations La Unión del Pueblo Entero and ARISE have assisted more than 25 ''colonia'' communities in securing street lighting since 2016 (Taylor 2019). They have done so by organizing committed ''colonia'' residents at the grassroots level and by exerting public pressure, presence, and plans at government meetings of county officials.		[[File: Colonia_2.PNG\|thumb\|300px\|right\|Colonia home in Hidalgo County, Texas. Source: Jenny L. Chamberlain. © Jenny L. Chamberlain.]]

			Colonias face many challenges. The policy emphasis has continued to prioritise the building of infrastructure able to improve the quality of life, such as enabling direct access to potable water, paving roads, provisioning drainage, street lighting and trash collection, and removing wastewater and contaminants. Infrastructure improvements are sporadic and evolving affairs—the gains of which are distributed unequally among ''colonias'' dependent upon local organizing and political will and influence. For example, South Texas-based community organizations La Unión del Pueblo Entero and ARISE have assisted more than 25 ''colonia'' communities in securing street lighting since 2016 (Taylor, 2019). They have done so by organizing committed ''colonia'' residents at the grassroots level and by exerting public pressure, presence, and plans at government meetings of county officials.

	Ongoing crises in access to healthcare and health insurance, poverty and public safety are more difficult to address by policy. More than two-thirds of ''colonia'' residents lack health insurance and half of ''colonia'' households earn below the poverty line (Barton et al. 2015). In contrast to urban neighbourhoods in South Texas with comparable low incomes, ''colonias'' report lower rates of crime (Richardson and Pisani 2017). This finding is remarkable, given that ''colonias'' receive very little public protection and public services. Half of all ''colonia'' residents engage in seasonal migratory work in the agricultural fields or in informal work, which suggests that ''colonia'' income-earners would benefit from supplemental, complementary or alternative work arrangements (Barton et al. 2015). Half of ''colonia'' residents also lack a high school education or proficiency in English (Barton et al. 2015). Improving educational access and adult education, including English language training may reduce pronounced gaps in fuller participation in the larger economy and society.		Ongoing crises in access to healthcare and health insurance, poverty and public safety are more difficult to address by policy. More than two-thirds of ''colonia'' residents lack health insurance and half of ''colonia'' households earn below the poverty line (Barton et al. 2015). In contrast to urban neighbourhoods in South Texas with comparable low incomes, ''colonias'' report lower rates of crime (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). This finding is remarkable, given that ''colonias'' receive very little public protection and public services. Half of all ''colonia'' residents engage in seasonal migratory work in the agricultural fields or in informal work, which suggests that ''colonia'' income-earners would benefit from supplemental, complementary or alternative work arrangements (Barton et al. 2015). Half of ''colonia'' residents also lack a high school education or proficiency in English (Barton et al., 2015). Improving educational access and adult education, including English language training may reduce pronounced gaps in fuller participation in the larger economy and society.

	The stigmas of living in ''colonia'' communities and the infrastructure challenges are addressed by the residents with relying on a shared culture and strong familial ties. More permanent solutions to problems faced by ''colonias'' may come in the form of increasing public awareness and investing in meaningful immigration reform (Richardson and Pisani 2017).		The stigmas of living in ''colonia'' communities and the infrastructure challenges are addressed by the residents with relying on a shared culture and strong familial ties. More permanent solutions to problems faced by ''colonias'' may come in the form of increasing public awareness and investing in meaningful immigration reform (Richardson and Pisani, 2017).

	==Further reading==		==Further reading==
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	Barton, J., Permeter, E.R., Blum, E.S., and Marquez, R.R. 2015. ‘Las Colonias in the 21st Century: Progress Along the Texas-Mexico Border,’ April, https://www.dallasfed.org/assets/documents/cd/pubs/lascolonias.pdf.		Barton, J., Permeter, E.R., Blum, E.S., and Marquez, R.R. 2015. ‘Las Colonias in the 21st Century: Progress Along the Texas-Mexico Border,’ April, https://www.dallasfed.org/assets/documents/cd/pubs/lascolonias.pdf.

	Donnelson, A.J. and Esparza, A.X. (eds.) 2010. ''The Colonias Reader: Economy, Housing, and Public Health in U.S.-Mexico Border Colonias''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.		Donnelson, A.J. and Esparza, A.X. (eds.) 2010. ''The Colonias Reader: Economy, Housing, and Public Health in U.S.-Mexico Border Colonias''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press

	Durst, N.J. and Ward, P.M. 2014. ‘Measuring Self-help Home Improvements in Texas Colonias: A Ten Year ‘Snapshot’ Study,’ ''Urban Studies'', 51: 2143-59.		Durst, N.J. and Ward, P.M. 2014. ‘Measuring Self-help Home Improvements in Texas Colonias: A Ten Year ‘Snapshot’ Study,’ ''Urban Studies'', 51: 2143-59

	Esparza, A.X. and Donnelson, A.J. 2016. ''Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.		Esparza, A.X. and Donnelson, A.J. 2016. ''Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press

	Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1996. ‘Texas Colonias: A Thumbnail Sketch of the Conditions, Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,’ https://www.dallasfed.org/~/media/documents/cd/pubs/colonias.pdf.		Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1996. ‘Texas Colonias: A Thumbnail Sketch of the Conditions, Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,’ https://www.dallasfed.org/~/media/documents/cd/pubs/colonias.pdf.

	Giusti, C. 2008. ‘Nuestra Casa (Our House): A New Model for Self-Help & Improvement Along the Texas/Mexico Border,’ ''Texas Business Review'', August, 1-5.		Giusti, C. 2008. ‘Nuestra Casa (Our House): A New Model for Self-Help & Improvement Along the Texas/Mexico Border,’ ''Texas Business Review'', August, 1-5

	Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2017. ''Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados: Class and Culture on the South Texas Border'', revised edition. Austin: University of Texas Press.		Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2017. ''Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados: Class and Culture on the South Texas Border'', revised edition. Austin: University of Texas Press

	Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2012. ''The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border''. Austin: University of Texas Press.		Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2012. ''The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border''. Austin: University of Texas Press

	Taylor, S. 2019. ‘Hidalgo County Asked to Pump Half a Million Dollars into Colonia Street Lights Program,’ ''Rio Grande Guardian'', 22 May, https://riograndeguardian.com/hidalgo-county-asked-to-pump-half-a-million-dollars-into-colonia-street-lights-program/.		Taylor, S. 2019. ‘Hidalgo County Asked to Pump Half a Million Dollars into Colonia Street Lights Program,’ ''Rio Grande Guardian'', 22 May, https://riograndeguardian.com/hidalgo-county-asked-to-pump-half-a-million-dollars-into-colonia-street-lights-program/.
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	Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2019. ‘2019 State of Texas Low Income Housing Plan & Annual Report,’ https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/docs/19-SLIHP.pdf.		Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2019. ‘2019 State of Texas Low Income Housing Plan & Annual Report,’ https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/docs/19-SLIHP.pdf.

	Ward, P.M. 1999. ''Colonias and Public Policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by Stealth''. Austin: University of Texas Press.		Ward, P.M. 1999. ''Colonias and Public Policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by Stealth''. Austin: University of Texas Press

Editor2018: Created page with "{{infobox | nameofpractice = Colonias | flagemoji = 🇺🇸 | definition = Informal settlements housing migrant populations in unincorporated and unregulated areas. | locatio..."

2021-04-23T08:14:19Z

Created page with "{{infobox | nameofpractice = Colonias | flagemoji = 🇺🇸 | definition = Informal settlements housing migrant populations in unincorporated and unregulated areas. | locatio..."

New page

{{infobox
| nameofpractice = Colonias
| flagemoji = 🇺🇸
| definition = Informal settlements housing migrant populations in unincorporated and unregulated areas.
| location = USA
| imagemap = USA map.png
| clusters = [[:Category: Informal dwelling|Informal dwelling]] – [[:Category: Survival| Survival]] – [[:Category: Market| Market]] – [[:Category: Functional ambivalence| Functional ambivalence]] – [[:Category: System made me do it| System made me do it]] – [[:Category: Poverty| Poverty]]
| categories = [[:Category: USA|USA]] – [[:Category: North America| North America]] – [[:Category: Informal settlement| Informal settlement]] – [[:Category: Borders| Borders]] – [[:Category: Urban| Urban]] – [[:Category: Migration| Migration]] – [[:Category: Entrepreneurship| Entrepreneurship]] – [[:Category: Mutual help| Mutual help]] – [[:Category: Ethnicity| Ethnicity]] – [[:Category: Land| Land]] – [[:Category: Agriculture| Agriculture]]
| authorofpiece = Michael J. Pisani
| authorinstitution = Department of Management, Central Michigan University
| authorwebsite = Profile page at [https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/cba/academic_programs/departments/management/profiles/Pages/pisan1mj.aspx CMU]
}}
<big>'''By Michael J. Pisani, Department of Management, Central Michigan University'''</big>
[[Category: Informal dwelling]]
[[Category: Survival]]
[[Category: Market]]
[[Category: Functional ambivalence]]
[[Category: System made me do it]]
[[Category: Poverty]]
[[Category: USA]]
[[Category: North America]]
[[Category: Informal settlement]]
[[Category: Borders]]
[[Category: Urban]]
[[Category: Migration]]
[[Category: Entrepreneurship]]
[[Category: Mutual help]]
[[Category: Ethnicity]]
[[Category: Land]]
[[Category: Agriculture]]
[[Category: Entry]]
[[Category: 2021 entry]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|style="font-size:1.1em;"|''Colonias'' (singular: ''colonia'') are informal, self-built housing units typically clustered together in unregulated and unincorporated subdivisions in the Southwestern United States – California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas (Donelson and Esparza 2010, Esparza and Donelson 2016). This low-income housing is often located outside the formal city limits and is characterized by deficient infrastructure (e.g. water, roads, electricity, health, police, street lighting, wastewater and trash removal), lack of regulations or enforcement (e.g. zoning, building codes), poverty and health challenges, and land title ambiguity (Donelson and Esparza 2010). The primary residents of ''colonias'' are people with contemporary or historical familial ties to Mexico. The majority of ''colonias'' were built in the post-World War II era. The name translates to community, neighbourhood or suburb from Spanish (Ward 1999) and originates from low-income urban ''colonia'' neighbourhoods in Mexico. The legacy of ''colonias'' in Mexico facilitated the development of ''colonias'' in the US.
|}

A geographic concentration of Southwestern ''colonias'' is prominent in South Texas, especially along the US-Mexico border. More than 1,500 ''colonias'' in South Texas (Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2019) house an estimated 400,000 residents, or nearly 20% of the local population (Richardson and Pisani 2017). ''Colonias'' in South Texas evolved out of worker camps on larger ranches and farms. Flood- and hurricane-prone areas, less suitable for agriculture, were subdivided into smaller plots by the landowners and sold to Mexican immigrant farmworkers. Since the plots fell outside the city borders where building codes were not as stringently enforced, the residents manoeuvred around them to build their housing informally. ''Colonias'' were also a springboard for engaging in other informal economic activities (Richardson and Pisani 2012).

The poverty that envelops South Texas facilitates the existence of ''colonias'' (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1996). In 2017, about one-third of the population and approximately half of children lived below the poverty line (Richardson and Pisani, 2017). The creation and persistence of ''colonia'' housing outside of the city borders is a low-income housing strategy that mitigates homelessness and overcrowding, allowing a pathway to homeownership to those on the margins of the economy. Deposits for plots of land, as low as $50-$100 for a property lot with a price of $10,000 ease entry into ''colonia'' communities (Durst and Ward 2014). Median price for a ''colonia'' housing hovers around $40,000 for completed homes (Durst and Ward 2014).

''Colonias'' are a conduit for informal economic activities, a social and cultural sanctuary and point toward a failure of formal housing systems. Economic survival in ''colonias'' is often tied with an engagement in informal work and entrepreneurship (Richardson and Pisani 2012). Since ''colonias'' housing is cheap, it often attracts the most vulnerable—the undocumented who cannot legally work (about 30% of ''colonia'' residents, Barton et al. 2015). But a shared Mexican heritage and identity facilitates social and cultural bonding. ''Colonia'' residents assist one another in building their homes, provide safety and care to residents and help to access extended social and family networks (Richardson and Pisani 2017). The formal housing market in South Texas is beyond the financial reach of many. There are few public resources devoted to providing public housing, highlighting the inadequate social safety net for housing needs.

The existence of ''colonias'' also point to deficient regulation. Land development projects often receive insufficient level of formal scrutiny, leading to deficient infrastructure, missing property sales records, insufficient enforcement of the building code and exploitative financing schemes. The most notorious such scheme was the ‘contract-for-deed’ property sale, in which the seller retained ownership of the property until the final payment and denied access to the accumulated equity before (this is now illegal).

Since the mid-1990s, the Texas state government has made efforts to understand and ameliorate offenses, failures in infrastructure and exploitative financing, but more work is needed (Richardson and Pisani 2017, 2012). ''Colonias'' are paradoxes for public policymakers. On the one hand, ''colonias'' can be seen as a free market supply-based response to excess housing demand in border communities. Informal housing has not only offered a solution to a lack of affordable housing stock (Giusti 2008) but has also pushed homeownership rates among ''colonia'' dwellers to 72 percent, nearly ten percentage points above the Texas state average (Richardson and Pisani 2017). Rates such as these may help portray the government as absolved of its financial responsibility to help those in need of housing. On the other hand, ''colonias'' can be viewed as blight—a scourge of unregulated housing that encourages crime, disease, inadequate infrastructure, unemployment and settlements of undocumented populations—that need to be reduced or eliminated. Many public officials denounce ''colonias'' as eyesores that impede local economic development (Richardson and Pisani 2012).

Colonias face many challenges. The policy emphasis has continued to prioritise the building of infrastructure able to improve the quality of life, such as enabling direct access to potable water, paving roads, provisioning drainage, street lighting and trash collection, and removing wastewater and contaminants. Infrastructure improvements are sporadic and evolving affairs—the gains of which are distributed unequally among ''colonias'' dependent upon local organizing and political will and influence. For example, South Texas-based community organizations La Unión del Pueblo Entero and ARISE have assisted more than 25 ''colonia'' communities in securing street lighting since 2016 (Taylor 2019). They have done so by organizing committed ''colonia'' residents at the grassroots level and by exerting public pressure, presence, and plans at government meetings of county officials.

Ongoing crises in access to healthcare and health insurance, poverty and public safety are more difficult to address by policy. More than two-thirds of ''colonia'' residents lack health insurance and half of ''colonia'' households earn below the poverty line (Barton et al. 2015). In contrast to urban neighbourhoods in South Texas with comparable low incomes, ''colonias'' report lower rates of crime (Richardson and Pisani 2017). This finding is remarkable, given that ''colonias'' receive very little public protection and public services. Half of all ''colonia'' residents engage in seasonal migratory work in the agricultural fields or in informal work, which suggests that ''colonia'' income-earners would benefit from supplemental, complementary or alternative work arrangements (Barton et al. 2015). Half of ''colonia'' residents also lack a high school education or proficiency in English (Barton et al. 2015). Improving educational access and adult education, including English language training may reduce pronounced gaps in fuller participation in the larger economy and society.

The stigmas of living in ''colonia'' communities and the infrastructure challenges are addressed by the residents with relying on a shared culture and strong familial ties. More permanent solutions to problems faced by ''colonias'' may come in the form of increasing public awareness and investing in meaningful immigration reform (Richardson and Pisani 2017).

==Further reading==

Texas Attorney General: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/colonias

==References==

Barton, J., Permeter, E.R., Blum, E.S., and Marquez, R.R. 2015. ‘Las Colonias in the 21st Century: Progress Along the Texas-Mexico Border,’ April, https://www.dallasfed.org/assets/documents/cd/pubs/lascolonias.pdf.

Donnelson, A.J. and Esparza, A.X. (eds.) 2010. ''The Colonias Reader: Economy, Housing, and Public Health in U.S.-Mexico Border Colonias''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Durst, N.J. and Ward, P.M. 2014. ‘Measuring Self-help Home Improvements in Texas Colonias: A Ten Year ‘Snapshot’ Study,’ ''Urban Studies'', 51: 2143-59.

Esparza, A.X. and Donnelson, A.J. 2016. ''Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions''. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 1996. ‘Texas Colonias: A Thumbnail Sketch of the Conditions, Issues, Challenges and Opportunities,’ https://www.dallasfed.org/~/media/documents/cd/pubs/colonias.pdf.

Giusti, C. 2008. ‘Nuestra Casa (Our House): A New Model for Self-Help & Improvement Along the Texas/Mexico Border,’ ''Texas Business Review'', August, 1-5.

Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2017. ''Batos, Bolillos, Pochos, and Pelados: Class and Culture on the South Texas Border'', revised edition. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Richardson, C. and Pisani, M.J. 2012. ''The Informal and Underground Economy of the South Texas Border''. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Taylor, S. 2019. ‘Hidalgo County Asked to Pump Half a Million Dollars into Colonia Street Lights Program,’ ''Rio Grande Guardian'', 22 May, https://riograndeguardian.com/hidalgo-county-asked-to-pump-half-a-million-dollars-into-colonia-street-lights-program/.

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 2019. ‘2019 State of Texas Low Income Housing Plan & Annual Report,’ https://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/docs/19-SLIHP.pdf.

Ward, P.M. 1999. ''Colonias and Public Policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by Stealth''. Austin: University of Texas Press.