I too am a fan of military constant aspect circuits, and certainly prefer them tight.
But, to make a new point, somebody asked how large a circuit should be? Well, how about defining it by time - I'd coin six minutes as the target from take-off to landing. If everybody stages their circuit footprints to meet that then (a) nobody should get cut up, (b) we enlarge the noise footprint to avoid p***ing off the neighbours, and (c) we actually have a standard to use!
Whilst not officially, this is virtually what happens at Popham or Old Sarum where microlights normally fly a tighter circuit, but manage to fit in nicely with the faster traffic outside them.
G