[TexasPlaya]

Originally Posted by Wizened Variations

In most major areas in the US and Canada, there are separate cities with their own "downtowns."

For example, if you travel into the coastal hills around LA and look down at the metro-area, there must be 10 or more mini-downtowns, connected by freeways (you may need a pair of binoculars and a good wind to keep the sky clear).

Houston is unique in one respect- within the city limits of a huge city there has been almost no zoning during the period of freeway building.

Even more remarkable, though, is that Houston has maintained this practice through times when urban violence and integration caused unincorporated suburban fringes around the US to become municipalities to localize any forced busing. In fact, the city limits continued to expand.

This.