Uptown Dallas is more about human scale,. Most buildings are mixed-use of some kind, or residential. Very few office only buildings. Lots of beautiful, older renovated homes between the fancy new urbanist projects help keep the area's soul alive. Lots of small gallery space and unique restaurants and theaters as well. Even with the new shiny stuff, its very much a neighborhood's neighborhood with lots of smaller sections like Victory, LoMac, State-Thomas, Quadrangle and the West Village. Before it was annexed into Dallas, it was Dallas' freedmans town called Uptown North Dallas Freedmanstown. The old "slave" or "colored" cemetary is there, and there's even a monument to this.
The places aren't comparable I don't think. Dallas' Platinum Corridor(Galleria, Valley View, Preston Trails, Bent Tree, Addison Circle, etc) is probably the closest to Uptown Houston. Residential towers, some new urbanists pedestrian projects(Addison Circle, various townhome communities), business highrises, some mansion estate areas and large regional upscale shopping mall straddling a modern freeway that leads out and into the burbs. Both cities area's forming their own long, linear type skyline.