Human Nature

Collisions and Resiliency in Galena Park’s Urban Food Desert

University of Houston, ARCH 5500
Image Credits: From top, Benjamin Blankenburg and Shaila George, 
Celeste Ponce

Located just north of the Ship Channel and east of downtown Houston, Galena Park is a city of approximately 10,000 residents with a layered and complex history. The arrival of the petrochemical industry in the early 20th century helped shape the community, drawing workers to the area as the Ship Channel economy expanded.

Today, more than 80% of Galena Park’s population identifies as Hispanic, and nearly 30% of residents live below the poverty line. The community faces serious health and environmental challenges, including chronic exposure to toxic air pollution from the dense concentration of nearby industrial facilities. These risks are intensified by the city's proximity to chemical plants, aging infrastructure, and frequent flooding. With more than 50 industrial sites in the surrounding area, the environmental and societal impacts on this low-income community are often ignored, or worse, justified.

In response, local leaders and grassroots organizations such as the Environmental Community Advocates of Galena Park (ECAGP) are working to reclaim agency and drive change from within. Galena Park remains a food desert, lacking a major grocery store and offering only a limited selection of chain restaurants and convenience stores, none of which provide consistent access to fresh produce. This studio project centered on the initiatives of ECAGP, focusing on community-driven solutions to improve access to healthy food, clean air, and environmental education. Interventions and initiatives were drawn from students' observations of the daily routines and intersections of economic, social, and environmental factors in the lives of the residents.