I think life was so much simpler then! Wish it still were. Now there are too many choices.
That being said, there are two separate issues – one is trying to do the best you can for your child in terms of school, neighborhood, etc (which I believe most parents my generation who care about education are doing, for better or for worse), the other is consulting the kids in this.
I think the parents are still moving the kids for job reasons, or divorce, or when they buy a house for example. And they don’t ask the kids permission – though they may discuss it with them so they know what to expect (depending on the age).
In my case, I am taking my daughter along to see houses for sale/rent because of logistics. She may express her likes or dislikes, and I am curious to know those, but it’s not influencing our decision of buying or renting a place. As a preschooler she doesn’t have the maturity/experience to really know what matters in the long run. Right now a house may be fascinating for her because it had snails,lizards and pretty flowers or something. Oh, if I’d have bought all the places she liked :), I’d have long since bought a house, LOL…
In my class we also had all sorts of kids, richer and poorer, ADD and “normal”, nerds and slackers. I am not sure which is better? more homogeneous or more diverse? I certainly think that ethnicity/cultural variety is great. about the rest, not so sure.