Transportation Equity: Advancing Diversity and Social Change

This session will discuss the Cloverleaf Livable Center Study and how it addressed the language, and the cultural barriers present in this unique community on the east side of Harris County. It will discuss the concerns of the client and strategies utilized by the consultant.

APA Texas Call for Sessions Proposal
Session Title:  Transportation Equity: Advancing Diversity and Social Change
Session Description:   A review of the H-GAC Cloverleaf Livable Center Study as an example of transportation equity advancing diversity and social change.
Cloverleaf is a densely populated 2.3-square-mile community in east Harris County, Texas. It is home to 28,831 people, with more than 75% of residents identifying as Hispanic/Latino. Cloverleaf was founded in the 1930s as a primarily white subdivision, but decades later would become predominantly Hispanic without the infrastructure needed to support the community. The lack of safety and connectivity necessitated change.
The Cloverleaf Livable Centers Study was a 10-month-long project commissioned by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and Harris County Precinct (PCT) 2. The study aimed to engage the community, improve connectivity and mobility, stimulate equitable economic development, and ensure that residents of Cloverleaf can safely and efficiently live, work, stay, and play in their neighborhood. The Consor Engineers LLC consultant team was selected to lead this project.
The study commenced in May 2022 and included multiple community-wide, task force and focus group meetings. Most of the project management team (PMT) consisted of Hispanic task leaders who spoke Spanish and English, including Hispanic staff members from H-GAC and Harris County PCT 2. The PMT focused on public engagement, place-making, land use, economic development, and infrastructure planning. In their efforts to connect with the residents of Cloverleaf, the PMT created accessible and inclusive content and outreach materials—this included bilingual social media posts, engaging discussions focusing on mobility, and a survey on health to focus on the community's wellbeing. The PMT was especially effective because some members came from comparable communities and wanted to see Cloverleaf succeed. Finally, this dynamic fostered a sense of cultural comfort between the study team and the community at large.
Overall, the study was an efficient and meaningful way to empower the community's needs and improve its residents' lives. It fostered a sense of community pride and ownership and provided a safe space for residents to voice their concerns. The study symbolizes pride for Cloverleaf's unique culture and serves as a testament to how community-driven solutions can positively impact the welfare of underserved communities.
This session will discuss the Cloverleaf Livable Center Study and how it addressed the language, and the cultural barriers present in this unique community on the east side of Harris County.
This session will cover the views and concerns of the client when posting the request for proposals based on the demographics and the location of the community’s study area. It will cover the strategy the consultant used in putting together the study team.  It will then cover the strategies undertaken by the whole team (i.e. client and consultant) to engage the community and the results. Finally, examples of the recommendations of the study will be discussed and the satisfaction of the client will be explored.
Who should attend this session:
•Staff from communities with a diverse range of social and cultural demographics
•Planners/practitioners of different cultural and social backgrounds
•Planners/practitioners of majority cultural and social backgrounds (i.e. learn different perspectives)
•Academic personnel recruiting culturally diverse students into the profession.
The session presenters will be composed of representatives from the client and the consultant that worked on the project. Biographies will follow for:
•Jose Cantu Project Manager and Planner for Houston Galveston Area Council H-GAC representing the client.
•Joe R. Guerra Jr. AICP, PTP Project Manager for the project representing the consultant Consor Engineer’s LLC
•Guillermo “William” Long, Public Engagement Task Leader representing the sub-consultant Poznecki-Camarillo.