3 ms·

Anyone who thinks zoning is the issue should take a trip to Houston to get straightened out.

ethanbond 3y ago
Some types/applications of zoning are part of the issue. Not the only one, to be sure. e.g. desirable markets literally don’t have enough people to build the houses. But zoning is often abused as a way to protect and increase the value of landowners’ assets at everyone else’s expense.
quacked 3y ago
What a nightmare of a city. I tell people who haven't been there that it's a city-size concrete strip mall built on a swamp. The worst part is that it could be paradise, with smarter building. The JSC and Rice campuses are both quite nice.
- ethbr1 3y ago
  Can't speak to Houston, but this rings true for Dallas for me. Everything is everywhere, in exactly the same way. City-sized concrete strip mall, indeed. Zoning has its faults. But lack of coherent zoning also has its faults.
tptacek 3y ago
Zoning is the issue. My wife is from Houston; I have certainly been there. I don't like Houston. What major lesson am I missing? Nothing about Houston redeems single-family zoning for me.
- bdcravens 3y ago
  The bigger question is among cities with Houston's population, what is Houston doing wrong that other such cities are doing right? Almost always the comparisons are to much smaller cities, which is intellectually dishonest.
- kthejoker2 3y ago
  With all respect to your personal preferences, Houston is one of the fastest growing metro in the US, with lower housing costs, a healthy middle class, and a booming economy. So you are missing a lot.
whycome 3y ago
Can you expand on this allusion? I don’t immediately understand the connection.
bdcravens 3y ago
Depends on the area, but there are definitely areas that the lack of zoning (or at least enforced) makes for some slummy areas. Even in areas where high prices, like The Heights (I know a guy who used to live in one of the slumlord homes over in the area, an old large house split into 4 or 5 "apartments", so I've seen how bad it is first hand.)

Some types/applications of zoning are part of the issue. Not the only one, to be sure. e.g. desirable markets literally don’t have enough people to build the houses. But zoning is often abused as a way to protect and increase the value of landowners’ assets at everyone else’s expense.

quacked 3y ago

What a nightmare of a city. I tell people who haven't been there that it's a city-size concrete strip mall built on a swamp. The worst part is that it could be paradise, with smarter building. The JSC and Rice campuses are both quite nice.

ethbr1 3y ago
Can't speak to Houston, but this rings true for Dallas for me. Everything is everywhere, in exactly the same way. City-sized concrete strip mall, indeed. Zoning has its faults. But lack of coherent zoning also has its faults.

tptacek 3y ago

Zoning is the issue. My wife is from Houston; I have certainly been there. I don't like Houston. What major lesson am I missing? Nothing about Houston redeems single-family zoning for me.

bdcravens 3y ago
The bigger question is among cities with Houston's population, what is Houston doing wrong that other such cities are doing right? Almost always the comparisons are to much smaller cities, which is intellectually dishonest.
kthejoker2 3y ago
With all respect to your personal preferences, Houston is one of the fastest growing metro in the US, with lower housing costs, a healthy middle class, and a booming economy. So you are missing a lot.

whycome 3y ago

Can you expand on this allusion? I don’t immediately understand the connection.

bdcravens 3y ago

Depends on the area, but there are definitely areas that the lack of zoning (or at least enforced) makes for some slummy areas. Even in areas where high prices, like The Heights (I know a guy who used to live in one of the slumlord homes over in the area, an old large house split into 4 or 5 "apartments", so I've seen how bad it is first hand.)