After more than three years of study, the city is poised to adopt new regulations aimed at fostering more “walkable” neighborhoods, easing Houston’s overwhelming reliance on automobiles and directing more residents toward a growing transit system.

City council is set to vote Wednesday on a slate of ordinances that would bring buildings closer to the street, force parking lots to the side or behind buildings, expand sidewalks, and require “buffer” zones between sidewalks and the road. The ordinances would apply to new buildings and redevelopment only in certain parts of the city.