“Model Subdivisions”: poor self-help settlements and their implications for policy

July 13, 2023 (last updated on October 19, 2023)

Noah Durst, "The Nature and Extent of Self-Help Housing in Texas: From Colonias to Model Subdivisions," Journal of Planning Education and Research 36 (2015): 2

The take-away: This article documents the development of so-called “model subdivisions” in and near the border region in Texas, noting particularly their resemblance to earlier “colonias” in terms of their poor living conditions. The continued proliferation of these impoverished developments is attributed to the market-based housing policies of the state, which have not provided relief for the poorest and forced them into this dangerous situation.

Abstract: Despite regulatory efforts in Texas aimed at preventing the spread of “colonias”—self-help settlements with inadequate water and wastewater infrastructure—since the early 1990s hundreds of new self-help “model subdivisions” have formed throughout the state. Using aerial photography and parcel-level property records, I provide the first systematic analysis of these subdivisions. Their proliferation poses considerable challenges for local planners, and although most model subdivisions appear to have basic infrastructure, housing conditions are exceedingly poor because of the protracted nature of the self-help process. The study highlights the need for renewed attention by scholars, policymakers, and planners toward self-help settlements in Texas.

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