Should a huge new house supplant a more modestly sized old one?

One of the ironies of the tear down trend is that the new construction usually features “green” elements such as solar collectors, LED lighting systems, triple-glazed windows, heat sinks and super-insulated walls and roofs. But the bigger new houses encroach upon open space, uprooting mature plantings that benefit air quality, and remove trees that can provide shade and minimize the energy required to cool buildings.

Source: Don’t Tear Down This Old House