ABSTRACT
A major purpose for the establishment of zoning was to protect the exclusivity of single-family development. The protection of single-family exclusivity was a prime concern until the arrival in recent years of smart growth. In the belief that it greatly contributed to urban sprawl, urban planners attacked the protection and exclusivity accorded homeownership. Contemporary land use experience illustrates the limited durability of land use planning. Supporters of smart growth policies assert that unlike conventional zoning Portland's smart growth program does not significantly raise the price of housing. Smart growth proponents have narrowed the gulf between zoning and nonzoning. First smart growth emphasizes exclusion while nonzoning promotes inclusion. Second, supporters of smart growth seek to impose mixed uses in areas that are zoned exclusively single-family. Third, smart growth requires regulatory controls while freedom in the use and development of property is practiced in the uncontrolled areas of Houston.
