I'll mirror what you and _delirium have said, but also note that simple economics certainly play a role as well, ala the article. Yes, someone theoretically cou

I'll mirror what you and _delirium have said, but also note that simple economics certainly play a role as well, ala the article. Yes, someone theoretically could buy up the lot across the street from my house, tear down the two houses, and put a gas station in the middle of my cozy little world. But no one will do that because you don't put a gas station in the middle of the block on a side street, or you'll simply go out of business. You put gas stations on a major or semi-major thoroughfare. Some parts of Houston really shine as a demonstration of the adaptability and character of a lack of zoning, and some really do end up worse off for it. And opinions differ, often by what people value in the first place. Plus some areas feel like they're zoned, because a combination of historical designations and private land covenants make them functionally close enough anyway.