For one refugee family, living in Houston has meant facing a host of new challenges as they traverse the city’s roadways without a car.
Peter Holley writes about a family who moved from a refugee camp in Burundi in Central Africa to Houston and their acclimation to life in this city—namely, learning to make their way along treacherous roads on foot.
Among Texas cities, Houston stands out for its especially bad sidewalk infrastructure, where crossing busy roadways can be deadly. And the risks are even greater for residents on Houston’s southwest side. Sixty percent of the deadliest intersections are located in this area, and most resettled immigrants live in this part of the city.
"Not only is southwest Houston one of the most car-dependent areas in the nation, it’s also beset by narrow sidewalks in various states of disrepair, limited signage, distracted drivers, and relentless waves of traffic," writes Holley.
FULL STORY: This Family Survived an African Refugee Camp. Their New Challenge: Surviving Houston Without a Car.
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
