Did not like. Odd uses right on top of one another. A porn shop next to the Galleria Mall? I did not see all the City, but from the Airport to inner loop not so good.
Did not like. Odd uses right on top of one another. A porn shop next to the Galleria Mall? I did not see all the City, but from the Airport to inner loop not so good.
Houston is a planning mecca... for a lot of good and bad reasons. I think the fact that they don't follow the traditional zoning and planning methods is a great case study for why a lot of what we do makes sense.
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. -Douglas Adams
Houston has rejected zoning referendums at least three times that I know of. Inner loop is very jumbled, but outer areas follow more regulated zoning setups. Basically, areas that were developed prior to annexation into the city look like any other suburb.
Almost all uses are allowed almost anywhere. Exceptions: state regs on alcohol sales, school regs, deed restrictions (can be enforced by the city!), transportation requirements, and other mandated regulations that the city has to adhere to. Subdivision regulations in Houston are the most stringent I've ever worked with and enforced.
Which airport were you traveling in/out of? You'll see very different parts of Houston development, depending on which airport. I used to live closer to the southern airport (Hobby).
"We do not need any other Tutankhamun's tomb with all its treasures. We need context. We need understanding. We need knowledge of historical events to tie them together. We don't know much. Of course we know a lot, but it is context that's missing, not treasures." - Werner Herzog, in Archaeology, March/April 2011
We flew in and out of Bush, stayed at a hotel in the Galleria area. I realize there were nicer parts somewhere probably, but we didn't see them. I spent a lot of time in Dallas too, although not in a while and I thought it was a nicer City generally.
I have noticed in many third world countries that the lack of zoning regulations on uses actually helps create a vibrant and interesting street scene, and I would content that a different types of land uses in close proximity is not what we are trying to prevent, but rather spread out uses all over the place with large setbacks. Our zoning here goes a long ways towards creating sterile neighborhoods, while many third world places are very intriguing places to be (even if they have a motorcycle repair shop next to a bakery).
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