Opinion: Forget Zoning, Houston Needs a Floodplain Ordinance

Zoning might not have saved Houston from Harvey, but a strong floodplain ordinance would have, according to an opinion piece published in the Houston Chronicle.

2 minute read

October 3, 2017, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Houston Flood

Jill Carlson / Flickr

John S. Jacob advocates for a stronger floodplain ordinance in Houston—to prohibit or control the development floodplains. First, however, Jacob distinguishes between zoning (Houston famously lacks zoning) from land use regulation. That's important, according to Jacob, because "[m]unicipalities in Texas have the power to limit development in areas that they consider a threat to human health and safety."

So, Houston also had the tools that could have prevented a lot of Hurricane Harvey's worst effects:

There is sufficient volume in our floodways and floodplains (100-year, 500-year, and beyond) to have handled a storm like Harvey. There is more than sufficient land outside the floodplains for all the current and future projected development in Houston. There was nothing inevitable about the impacts from the flooding caused by Harvey. A floodplain ordinance early on in our history could have kept development out of them. Development outside of the floodplains could have proceeded as helter-skelter as Houston would have wanted.

Jacob is responding most directly to comments by Mayor Sylvester Turner, who defended the city's lack of zoning by saying it wouldn't have helped prevent the flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. To be fair, Mayor Turner was responding to outside voices looking to score political points in the wake of Harvey. However, Jacob think it's important to reframe the points made by Turner by thinking about Houston's potential to regulate development—zoning or no.

Monday, September 25, 2017 in Houston Chronicle

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight