There is much angst about the change in size of housing occurring in older neighborhoods. Charges are hurled about McMansions, loss of neighborhood cohesion, too much mass, loss of green space, sunlight and affordability. Numerous individuals and organizations have joined the fray, contributing to the confusion and mis-information surrounding the issue, pressuring politicians to consider new regulations and restrictions to retard, preclude, or discourage the practice.

The main issue is one of change, and how housing replacement and urban revitalization affect neighborhoods. A city is its people, its land is its legacy. Its structures are organic and like its people, they age, get out of sync with their times and are expensive to maintain in their old age. Even their life cycles are similar in duration. Because the house is a product of its time; its size, features and amenities reflect the ideas, values and lifestyle ofthe era in which it was built. Without significant upgrading or improvement it remains a fossil of its time, without relevance for many of today’s buyers.