Analyzing the Effectiveness of Houston's Complete Communities Initiative

The Complete Communities Initiative is a program launched in 2017 by the City of Houston designed to address and improve issues within historically underserved communities. The Initiative currently has two phases which divides the ten participating neighborhoods in half by pilot communities and newly added communities. This project aims to analyze the effectiveness of the Complete Communities Initiative implementation in the first five pilot communities. Action Plans detailing steps for improvement and implementation were examined by community- Acres Homes, Gulfton, Near Northside, Second Ward, and Third Ward- to determine standardized and neighborhood-specific goals. Analysis of ACS 5-year estimates and TAPR data suggest that there has been improvement for multiple project area goals for each neighborhood but occurred too close to the inception of the program to be directly attributed to the implementation phase of the Complete Communities Initiative. Reform of the existing program to develop more rigid standards would contribute to increased success.