This question has been asked before in urban archaeology, but not necessarily
from a faunal point of view.  Belina Blomberg looked at vessel completeness from
a Philadelphia site to assess the extent to which deposits were "stockplied"
prior to ending up in a privy.  I've used this technique from time to time as
well in my work on Philadelphia and Minneapolis sites as part of my initial
analysis of depositional processes.  References cheerfully provided to the
interested, off list.
 
I think the key issue here is just that, the need for careful consideration of
depositional processes before trying to look at consumer behavior, etc. 
Crossmends, vessel completeness, TPQ and formula dates (wildly out of "order"
dates can be indicative of stockpiling or "off site" origin of materials),
funnctional composition, etc. are all necessary and useful analytical
techniques, the results of which need to be placed in the context of the
locality's sanitation history (i.e. the history of sanitary reform and
regulation).
 
John
 
 
John P. McCarthy, RPA
Sr. Project Manager - Cultural Resources
Greenhorne & O'Mara, Inc.
9001 Edmonston Road
Greenbelt, MD  20770
301-220-1876 voc
301-220-2595 fax