Sociology Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-20-2026
Abstract
Colonias are historically underserved communities along the Texas–Mexico border facing infrastructure deficiencies, socioeconomic vulnerability, and environmental hazards. This study examines parcel-level development conditions across 66,160 properties in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties, Texas. Property appraisal records, colonia boundaries and 2014 classifications, and geographic information system analyses were integrated to evaluate property values, platting, public service district coverage, floodplain exposure, and reconstructed building patterns from 1990 to 2025. These indicators represent physical and economic conditions associated with resilience rather than a comprehensive measure of community resilience. Results reveal variation among counties and 2014 baseline classification categories. Communities classified as Green exhibited higher property values, greater district coverage, and more established development, whereas those classified as Red showed lower values and greater developmental disadvantages. Reconstructed building inventories more than doubled in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties and increased in Starr County, although survivorship bias and missing year-built data limit interpretation of growth rates. Many colonia properties remain within mapped floodplains, particularly in Hidalgo County. Because the analysis is descriptive, these patterns cannot be causally attributed to specific policies. This study provides a replicable parcel-level framework for evaluating development disparities and floodplain exposure to inform equitable infrastructure investment and planning in underserved border communities.
Recommended Citation
Kyne, Dean, Bridget R. Scanlon, Yiming Zhang, Keri K. Stephens, Brent Porter, Wonhyun Lee, and Aracelli V. Vega. "A Parcel-Level GIS Analysis of Development Disparities, Floodplain Exposure, and Building Growth in Texas Border Colonias." Sustainability 18, no. 16 (2026): 8603. https://doi.org/10.3390/su18168603
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Publication Title
Sustainability
DOI
10.3390/su18168603
Comments
© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.