I live/sometimes live in Silicon Valley. I love the houses from the 70's. They have so much character and are really great and inventive structures. The modern Mcmansions are grotesque though. They are either grey or pastel pink or blue. They also seem to have no garden and are all carbon copies of each other. My old house was knocked down to make room for one of these things. Unfortuantley I did not have the million or so dollars to buy it.
I once remember thinking the 70s tract houses in the Valley were ugly and nondescript because they were, in fact, ugly and nondescript. I know cuz I grew up in one. It takes about 40 years for a neighborhood to start to morph into something more interesting. Over time every house gets remodeled, trees get large and more various, as does the landscaping, new rooms get added, etc., etc., etc. What this author is complaining about is mostly the newness of these housing developments, as well as the newness of the retail centers nearby which are ALWAYS pioneered by corporate businesses before unique ventures move in. They're dull to be sure, but that will change eventually.
I'm with you on the small yard thing, though. That's a tragedy, but a result of explosive price increases in housing, which are in turn a result of shortages brought on by regulatory/environmental hurdles. (Have trouble getting a building permit? You make up for it by building as many houses on the land you manage to get cleared for building.)
As far as the McMansion thing goes, well, why don't you ask residents of most nations on Earth if they'd prefer to live in a McMansion or their mud hut and I think you'll gain a little perspective on the 'tragedy' of Americans having to live in 3000 sq. ft. domiciles. That's EXACTLY the kind of problem we want to have, no?
>>I live/sometimes live in Silicon Valley. I love the houses from the 70's
Well I have to disagree (I live here too). Those houses are hideous. Most of Silicon Valley architecture is hideous though, so it's really no surprise.