Colonia (border settlement)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colonias, as used along the U.S.-Mexican border, refer to rural, unincorporated settlements which often lack basic infrastructure and which are marked by poverty.
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[edit] History
The word "colonia" itself originally comes from Spanish for "neighborhood" or "community". In Spanglish, the English-Spanish mix, colonia began to be used to refer primarily to Mexican neighborhoods. Since these Hispanic neighborhoods were less affluent, the word also connoted poverty and substandard housing.[1]
In the 1990s, colonias became a common American English name for the slums that developed on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Colonias have existed along the border for decades, but since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, the number of people living in colonias has increased significantly, due to the increase in low-skilled jobs created on both sides of the border through the maquiladora industry.[2]
As of 2007, Texas has the largest concentration of people (approximately 400,000) living in colonias on the U.S. side of the border.[1] New Mexico has the second largest, followed by Arizona and California.[2]
[edit] Descriptions
Colonias are basically illegal subdivisions created by rural settlers and are found near the U.S. - Mexico border. The lack of clean water and proper plumbing infrastructure is due primarily to the fact that the settlements were established spontaneously without the approval or assistance of the proper government authorities. The population of a colonia will usually grow rapidly well before its infrastructure needs are realized by the closest established towns or government officials.
The Texas legislature has defined colonias as: a) subdivisions, b) lacking essential elements of infrastructure, and c) near the Mexico border. [3]
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines a colonia as an unincorporated community located within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, with a population of less than 10,000 that is low and very low income, and which lacks safe, sanitary and sound housing, as well as services such as potable water, adequate sewage systems, drainage, streets and utilities.
Colonias are usually found in rural areas. Subdivisions are usually created out of cheap farmland. Usually it is not in a city's interest to annex a colonia because it would subsequently be required to provide such city services as water, electricity, and sewage, even though the tax revenue from annexed colonias would probably not cover the cost of installation and use of services. Counties, under whose jurisdiction colonias tend to be, are usually not required to render such services.
In contrast with shantytowns in other parts of the world, most residents legally own the land on which they reside.
[edit] Advocacy groups
Housing and community advocacy organizations such as the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service (TxLIHIS), an affordable housing advocacy nonprofit organization [3], and the Colonias Development Council[4] in New Mexico, work to alleviate poverty in colonias by promoting self-help housing programs that provide colonia residents with resources to build their own homes, fostering community empowerment and raising public awareness.
[edit] See also
- Pueblos jóvenes: name given to the vast shantytowns that surround Lima, Peru
- Favela: name given to a Brazilian shantytown or slum, primarily in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Cortiço: Portuguese term commonly used in Brazil and Portugal to describe a poor area of urban housing.
[edit] References
- Pepin, Madeleine, "Texas Colonias: An Environmental Justice Case Study" [5]
- Huntoon, Laura and Becker, Barbara, 2001, "Colonias in Arizona: A Changing Definition with Changing Location" [6]
