>>1559520It's a myth to say that Houston doesn't have zoning.
They have a million rules governing what you can build and how property can be subdivided. They even have "minimum lot size" for single-family homes which is very large (and only recently reformed).
They also have very high parking minimums which causes a lot of sprawl.
>Virtually every affluent residential neighborhood in Houston has strict private deed restrictions — and, remarkably many of those deed restrictions can be enforced by the city. That’s why River Oaks, Houston’s wealthiest neighborhood, doesn’t have apartment buildings or office buildings in the middle of the neighborhood.>Deed restrictions are not enforced unless complaints are reported, meaning that less affluent neighborhoods often see covenants violated if the residents are not vigilant. Developers are constantly on the lookout for the one parcel in a desirable location that isn’t covered by the deed restrictions. This is the loophole that led a few years ago to the well-known “Ashby high-rise” fight, during which affluent residents went to court to fight a proposed high-rise apartment building on Ashby Street near Rice University.>Then there are historic districts. The trend began in the early 2000s (there are now 22 total) with the creation of three historic districts in Houston Heights, a bungalow neighborhood northwest of downtown Houston. When the Heights gentrified, it attracted the attention of apartment developers. In response, residents petitioned for the creation of historic districts, which require that the scale and character of the neighborhood remain the same. Some neighborhoods are in effect using historic districts as a zoning substitute. 