How Houston gets along without zoning

Interesting, this lack of zoning in Houston is on my spatial planning exam. Quite a peculiar city this is, especially to Europeans.

It's disingenuous to say that Houston has no zoning without mentioning that it does have strict, minimum parking regulations, strict minimum lot size regulations, and wide streets and long blocks. Though it might not have traditional single-use Euclidean zoning regulations, it does have a lot of strictures that limit density and discourage walkability and feasibility of mass transit.

http://rationalitate.blogspot.com/2008/12/is-houston-really-unplanned.html

I used to live in Houston. Interestingly enough, since pretty much any residential area in Houston is covered by CC&Rs due to no zoning, I actually have more property rights where I live now with zoning than I did in Houston. Libertarians would have you believe that things like zoning result in fewer freedoms, but in reality that isn't the case.

Houston is this huge, complicated city that is hard to pin down or even understand. The suburbs are endless beige McMansions and Wal-Marts, while central Houston has an energetic and for-real arts scene including the largest art car parade in the world. The suburbs are strictly controlled by their unelected 'Homeowner's Association's that make sure everyone paints their house beige and has a nice car in the driveway (in extreme, but common cases). In town, there are no homeowner associations, no zoning, no controls of any kind beyond basic ticketable offenses like never mowing your lawn (though nothing that says you have to have a lawn if you don't want to!). And hey Stephen, the lot size and setback requirements were all repealed within the I-610 loop ten years ago, which is why they're now building 3-6 three storey townhomes, attached to each other buy independent structures, on the lots that formerly held a single 1920s-1950s home. Yes, parts of central Houston are approaching European density and higher- most of the townhomes in London have small backyards, the new ultra-dense central Houston neighbourhoods have zero or nearly zero land around them at all- only driveway entrances to each unit's 2 car garage that occupies the entire first floor. So yeah, Houston is a peculiar city.. but not simple or easy to put in a cubby-hole. If you visit, just don't make any opinions until you have seen CENTRAL Houston. Give the suburbs a pass..