Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
5-2023
School/College
Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs (SOPA)
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Environmental Policy
Committee Chairperson
Glenn Johnson
Committee Member 1
Robert Bullard
Committee Member 2
Lalita Sen
Committee Member 3
Andrew Ewoh
Keywords
• climate displacement • ecological knowledge • environmental justice • Hurricane Harvey • hypersegregation • oral histories
Abstract
On the Gulf Coast of Texas, a large disparity exists between the number of homes still in need of repair after Hurricane Harvey and the number of homes actually repaired by the City of Houston, Housing and Community Development, 6 years after the storm. This research was conducted through the lens of environmental justice, with attention to climate change impacts and the vulnerability of previously segregated neighborhoods over extended periods of time. The most vulnerable, seniors, were interviewed to collect their personal experiences post Hurricane Harvey to determine the true extent of home damage, how they recovered from the storm, and what impact that recovery period post-storm had on their health and displacement from the home. In the context of a just planning model and through the lens of environmental justice, their ecological knowledge and participation should be used to improve housing recovery. Oral histories allow others an alternative perspective to their own and offer policy makers insight into complex nuances, actors, and events that have transpired post-disaster.
Copyright
Copyright © for this work is retained by the author. Any documents and information presented are protected by copyright under US Copyright laws and are the property of the author. All Rights Reserved. For permission to use this content please contact the author or the Graduate School at Texas Southern University (graduate.school@tsu.edu).
Recommended Citation
Ward, Jessica April, "Seniors Seeking Housing, Health, and Climate Justice, An Oral History of Hurricane Recovery in the Gulf Coast" (2023). Dissertations (2016-Present). 59.
https://digitalscholarship.tsu.edu/dissertations/59