1. University Line Houston, Texas Arch 5604 Spring 2008 Andrew Tyler
Community Analysis
University Line
Houston, Texas
Arch 5604 Spring 2008
Andrew Tyler
The following is an in-depth view of the land usage and economic makeup of the communities throughout the University Corridor.

2. Corridor Communities Neartown/ Montrose Mid- Town Upper Kirby Third
Greenway
Plaza
Upper
Kirby
Museum
District
Gulfton
Third
Ward
Starting East to West, the distinct communities that are crossed by the University Line (black line) are displayed. As the line gets towards the western segment, you can see that the line doesn’t cross through distinct, named, communities. The line is sandwiched between the city of Bellaire to the South and the Uptown/Galleria community to the North. But since the line does not directly go through either area, I chose not to display them. This portion of the line is running on an abandoned heavy rail easement and in close proximity to the US 59 freeway.

3. Third Ward Light Rail Route Map: City of Houston
Starting in the East, the first distinct community is the Third Ward. Referring to one of the original wards from the development of the city, the Third Ward is an old neighborhood that dates back to the late 19th century. Once dominated by single family homes, the area now contains two of the largest universities in Houston, The University of Houston, and Texas Southern University. These are shown on the map as the two large light blue blocks in the south east. The remainder of the community is still dominated by single family homes (light yellow) and spots of supportive commercial zones (red).
Map: City of Houston

4. Museum District Community Statistics:
Third Ward & Museum District Combined
Total Population - 35,468
Black Alone %
White Alone %
Hispanic Origin %
Other Race - 6.6%
Asian - 4.0%
Two Plus Races - 2.6%
American Indian - 0.3%
Median Household Income - $27,388
Income Under $50K %
HH Income $50K-$100K %
HH Income Over $100K %
Average Home Value - $186,080
The Museum district is actually a remnant of the Third Ward that was isolated by the creation of Highway 288 to the East and Highway 59 to the North. The community is named because of the dense collection of Museums that have developed in the area, shown on the map as the light blue in the South West portion of the map. The map shows that the area is mostly residential, with a few more multi family residences mixed in with the single family homes.
The statistics that I found on the area are a combination of both the Third Ward and Museum District. They show that the predominant race in the area is black, by a significant margin, and has a median household income that is well below the national average.
Map: City of Houston

5. Mid Town Community Statistics: Total Population - 20,121
Mid Town & Neartown Combined
Total Population - 20,121
White Alone %
Hispanic Origin %
Black Alone - 5.4%
Asian Alone - 5.3%
Two or More Races - 3.8%
American Indian Alone - 0.6%
Median Household Income - $59,212
HH Income Under $50K %
HH Income $50K-$100K %
HH Income Over $100K %
Mid Town is located between the downtown business district and the medical center. This creates a lot of traffic that travels between the two. The resulting land development in this area has been predominantly commercial. Mixed in are pockets of dense residential developments (apartment complexes, large and small, and dense town home/condo developments. The proposed light rail line crosses through a dense commercial area that has a grocery store and Sears department store before it enters the neartown community.
The statistics show that the demographics of this community and neartown are a stark difference from those of the Third Ward and Museum District. The majority race is white and the median household income is right around the national average.
Map: City of Houston

6. Neartown Community Statistics: Total Population - 20,121
Mid Town & Neartown Combined
Total Population - 20,121
White Alone %
Hispanic Origin %
Black Alone - 5.4%
Asian Alone - 5.3%
Two or More Races - 3.8%
American Indian Alone - 0.6%
Median Household Income - $59,212
HH Income Under $50K %
HH Income $50K-$100K %
HH Income Over $100K %
Neartown is another old neighborhood that dates back to around It is comprised mostly of single family residences and supportive commercial districts along the major roads. The large conglomeration of light blue around the Southern portion of the map, close to the light rail line on Richmond, is St Thomas University and the Menil Museum complex.
Map: City of Houston

7. Upper Kirby/ Greenway Plaza
The Upper Kirby and Greenway Plaza communities have widely varied land uses as demonstrated by the land use map. Large blocks of singe family homes, dense multi-family developments, and large commercial areas dot the map. Not represented on the map is the large complex of office buildings that create the Greenway Plaza commercial district. The rail route enters Kirby on Richmond, continues to Greenway Plaza where it turns south and crosses over to Westpark where it continues west through the abandoned rail right of way adjacent to the street. It is also important to note the area represented by light green on the map is a large electrical substation serving a large portion of Houston.
Map: City of Houston

8. Greenway Plaza
Since it wasn’t adequately shown in the land use map, here is an aerial image of Greenway Plaza showing the large complex of office buildings.

9. Upper Kirby/ Greenway Plaza
Community Statistics:
Upper Kirby & Greenway Plaza
Total Population - 16,166
White Alone %
Hispanic Origin - 9.0%
Asian Alone - 4.6%
Two or More Races - 2.6%
Black Alone - 2.4%
American Indian Alone - 0.3%
Median Household Income - $67,998
HH Income Under $50K – 37.6%
HH Income $50K-$100K – 28.8%
HH Income Over $100K – 33.6%
The statistics for Upper Kirby and Greenway Plaza show that it is predominantly white and the average income in the area is slightly above the national average.

10. Gulfton/ Western Segment
Community Statistics:
Gulfton
Total Population - 53,624
Hispanic Origin %
White Alone %
Black Alone - 8.7%
Two or More Races - 5.4%
Asian Alone - 4.5%
American Indian Alone – 0.6%
Median Household Income - $32,678
HH Income Under $50K %
HH Income $50K-$100K %
HH Income Over $100K - 7.0%
Gulfton, the westernmost segment of the University Line, is predominantly comprised of dense apartment complexes and intermixed with industrial sites (shown in purple) and commercial districts located along the main roads.
The statistics reveal that the area is highly Hispanic in race has the highest population of any of the other communities, and like the Third Ward, has a median household income that is below the national average.
Map: City of Houston