No, flooding in Houston was not caused by a lack of zoning laws
And even if one were to accept that sprawling development makes flooding considerably worse, there is no reason to assume zoning would improve it, says Ray Lehmann of the R Street Institute.
“The way that zoning has been used in most places is to deter density,” Lehmann tells Reason. While Houston is the only major city to not have zoning regulation “most of the country looks like Houston, and, much like Houston, has sprawl.”
