In a surprise to no one, Southern Methodist University provided a study confirming the obvious: Dallas infrastructure deserts exists, they primarily exist in the southern sector, and they are happening despite massive funding and misspending by Dallas City Council.
Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Barbara Minsker led the research project using public data and aerial maps.
“An infrastructure desert is a low-income area that has very highly deficient infrastructure compared to other areas of the city,” Minsker said.
The study considered twelve features of neighborhood infrastructure including streets, sidewalks, internet access to access to medical care. Neighborhoods deficient in eight or more characteristics were graded as infrastructure deserts.
The City of Dallas has not had a serious effort to handle its budget priorities in years. This has led to multiple cost over runs and quality control issues leading to issues in both Public Works and other programs.
Dallas Infrastructure Deserts Study Details
The study can be viewed here, but has a warning that it should not be cited since it has not been peer reviewed yet.