Smaller groundplates - less streetplates

[Eichgrab]

What is the reason that the „new“ lego sets has no big groundplates and streetplates any more. I remember in my childhood every set was on a big grounplate or streetplate => 25x25cm.

Best example => airports. My first airport had 3 streetplates => the new ones => NONE.

There are also a lot of sets that had big plates and now has only small plates (Firestation, Police etc.)

Another good example => http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/6500_Holiday_Village => only a small amount of bricks but 3 street plates!

[Lego_Hero]

What is the reason that the „new“ lego sets has no big groundplates and streetplates any more. I remember in my childhood every set was on a big grounplate or streetplate => 25x25cm.

Best example => airports. My first airport had 3 streetplates => the new ones => NONE.

There are also a lot of sets that had big plates and now has only small plates (Firestation, Police etc.)

Another good example => http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/6500_Holiday_Village => only a small amount of bricks but 3 street plates!

I wonder if groundplates are more costly to make? They take up a lot of room, so maybe their molds do as well on the factory floor. I'll bet the amount of plastic it takes to make a groundplate is much, much more than the average brick. I would like a large grey groundplate, but TRU sells them for way more than I'm willing to pay.

The only other possibilty I can think of is that the city line has been around so long that amybe TLG thinks it's redundant to keep including plates. Not likely, but why else?