The Settegast neighborhood in northeast Houston has been home to Carolyn Rivera for more than four decades.
Rivera said that it is a place she chose to stay for the long term and eventually retire.
“When I first moved here, it was clean. It was green,” Rivera said. “The soil was good because I used to have a garden in the back and used to have a big ole pine tree here.”
Now, those are just memories from the neighborhood she once loved dearly. Instead, she has to accept a difficult part of what’s become reality.
According to a 2023 analysis by the Houston Chronicle, life expectancy in Settegast is about 66 years, which is the shortest in Harris County.
However, neighborhoods such as Clear Lake are much higher at 89 years.
The report doesn’t break down exactly what factors contribute to that number.
But Michael Emerson, a lead author on a study conducted with Rice University’s Kinder Institute, said people could live longer if communities focused on what he calls the “universal basic neighborhood.”
The idea is that every neighborhood should set certain standards in four different categories: environment, housing quality, social support, and transportation.
The research goes on to say that if those needs are met, the average life expectancy could reach 80 years or even more.
According to Emerson, the different city departments would have to work together.
ABC13 spoke with Houston City Councilwoman Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, who represents the Sunnyside neighborhood, which, according to the same analysis, had an average life expectancy of 68.
“It’s very concerning. I do know there are some challenges in the area regarding access to food, but my main concern is access to healthcare,” Evans-Shabazz said.
She said addressing those challenges starts with setting clear standards that help neighborhoods thrive, including making sure residents have places that encourage healthy lifestyles.
“We need people to access the green spaces in the area, and make sure we keep them up adequately so they may want to go out and talk and get a little exercise,” she said.