Mansionization is an urban planning term associated with the practice of building the largest possible size of home. It can result in
demolishing
Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apa ...
smaller, older houses in neighborhoods and replacing them with brand
new ones that occupy the maximum amount of
lot space available and are much larger in comparison to the surrounding dwellings, changing the character of neighbourhoods.
Alternatively, it may refer to
developments in areas that were formerly open land: in certain areas,
building code
A building code (also building control or building regulations) is a set of rules that specify the standards for construction objects such as buildings and non-building structures. Buildings must conform to the code to obtain planning permis ...
s have increased the size of lots and therefore commercial pressures lead builders to make the largest possible homes, causing greater
ecological damage and resulting in a reduction in
affordable housing
Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median, as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on ...
. The term is well known in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where many property owners have built new homes upward to mimic the skyscrapers-atmosphere that the city presents. The unequal design of these "
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
s" to the still-standing homes creates issues of character within neighborhoods, as well as, issues of
property value
Real estate appraisal, home appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of assessing the value of real property (usually market value). The appraisal is conducted by a licensed appraiser. Real estate transactions often require ...
.
References
{{Reflist
Urban studies and planning terminology
Mansions