Walkability Study 2013 Oak Cliff Gardens, Dallas, TX

Questions? Comments? Send your comments to: Dian Nostikasari at dian.nostikasari@mavs.uta.edu

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Introduction

The purpose of the Walkability Study is to assess neighborhood’s surroundings that affect the ability of residents to walk around the

neighborhood such as the lack of sidewalks, poor lightings, and other obstructions. The Walkability Study comes from concerns raised in a series

of focus groups conducted by Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity (DAHFH) and the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNTD) on a study regarding

food deserts. Residents in the Oak Cliff Gardens neighborhood that participated in the focus group sessions expressed concerns that one of the

barriers to their access to healthy food options is transportation mobility. The Oak Cliff Gardens neighborhood is located within the Census Tract

87.03 in proximity to the VA Hospital and the Lancaster Corridor Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Dallas, TX. Within the Census Tract,

there are approximately forty eight percent of people with disabilities and about 11 percent of those are below the poverty line. The lack of

sidewalks force people to walk on the street where there is a greater threat of being hit by a car. Other concerns are crime and safety in the

neighborhood. According to Jacob (1992), criminal activities can be hindered by the presence of “eyes on the street”. The more individuals that

are able to walk around their neighborhood, the more “eyes on the street” to watch over the community. If more people walk in the

neighborhood, this will result in an increased sense of community. Other

studies on health and walkability confirm that the ability of people to walk

around in their neighborhood can affect the health of the community.

The Walkability Study was first presented in the Oak Cliff Garden’s

Crime Watch group’s meeting on June 6, 2013. The residents supported the

study by giving suggestions on several areas in the neighborhood that are in

need of attention like broken sidewalks, poor lighting and alleys. The ultimate

goal of this collaboration between DAHFH and the community is to appeal to

the City of Dallas that the lack of sidewalks in Oak Cliff Gardens is detrimental

for the well-being of the community, particularly children and people with

disabilities.

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The Needs of Oak Cliff Gardens Community for Walkability

Although the residents are aware that the City of Dallas has a Dallas’ Sidewalk

Replacement Program, twenty eight percent of residents in the Census Tract 87.03

are below the federal poverty line. Moreover, the median income of the

neighborhood is $24,865. The large percentage of renters vs. homeowner means that

most residents in the neighborhood will have difficulty in providing the funding to

match the funding from the City. According to the Census 2000, about 28 percent of

the people in the Census Tract are below the poverty line and 11 percent of those are

people with disabilities. Moreover, people with disabilities account for up to 48

percent with 11 percent of those are living below the poverty line. Children in the age

of 5-15 years old with disabilities account for up to 10% of the total Census Tract’s

population. From the year 2000 to 2010, the percentage of households with children

under 18 years of age increased from 14.6% to 25% (Dallas Habitat Area for

Humanity). The percentage of 65 years old or older is over 14% of the population,

which is higher than about 9% countywide. About 4.4% of the residents over 18 years

old are reported veterans, compared to about 6.7% in Dallas County. In particular, the

lack of sidewalks provides threat to the safety of children and people with disabilities

living in the neighborhood.

Figure 1 Location map

Figure 3 People with Disability and Under Federal Poverty Line (Census 2000)

Figure 2 Children in the neighborhood

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Methodology

One of the main goals of the study is to develop an inventory of areas where there are no

sidewalks or sidewalks are in poor conditions. The Walkability Study data was collected with

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in addition to GPS technology and Google Earth. An initial

assessment was conducted by driving, walking, and taking pictures of sidewalk conditions. The

data are then transferred to Google Earth; overlaid with the neighborhood boundaries and a 2012

satellite image of the neighborhood. The result is a map that shows the conditions of sidewalks

and other obstructions that prevent people from safely walking along these streets.

There are also issues related to disconnected sidewalks due to the poor condition and piles of

trash and debris that prevent people from using the sidewalks. Approximately 37 percent of

streets within the neighborhood boundary have no sidewalks or sidewalks in poor or

discontinuous condition.

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 5

Table 1 Streets conditions

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Figure 7 Walkability Map

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Public Participation

DAHFH held an event called “Snow Cones & Sidewalks Saturday” on Saturday, September 28, 2013 to provide the opportunity for more

residents to express their concerns about the conditions of the streets in the neighborhood. Inclusion of public participation is important

because residents of a community have the everyday experiences of getting around the neighborhood that are valuable contributions to the

study (Friedmann 2011). Both the experience-based knowledge of people living in the neighborhood and the expert-based knowledge of

planners or organizations such as DAHFH are valuable to gain understanding of the needs of the community. Although institutions such as

DAHFH and the City of Dallas are heavily invested in neighborhoods like Oak Cliff Gardens, these institutions are outsiders with different kinds of

knowledge compared to the residents.

More than fifty people attended the event that was held outside one of the local convenience stores. The residents were given the

chance to evaluate the information on the map and provide information on what streets that they use most. The residents were also given the

chance to write down their comments on the map. Thus, the residents have the opportunity to put their concerns in their own words. Figure 11

shows the result of the activity.

Figure 8 Figure 10 Figure 9

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Figure 11 The Walkability Map with Comments

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Findings

The following are the recurring concerns raised by

the community:

Busy and dangerous streets: Custer

between Cardinal and Garrison, Custer,

Garrison, Dalton, Scotland, Exeter

Speed bumps

Trash

Streetlights,

“Trap house”

Puddles of water

Stray dogs

Ramp

Figure 13 Figure 12

Figure 14

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Proposed Priority

Figure 15 Priority Streets