It's not necessarily the two-car, narrow-lot typology that's the problem. I see it as more of an issue with design and execution. Just some landscaping and diverse architectural styles can break up the monotony of the dreaded "wall of garages."
Like here, these have similar lot sizes to those Houston neighborhoods:
https://goo.gl/maps/aUwBUQcUA7iB78DW8
https://goo.gl/maps/DcCAC77Zhku3BwNs5