Gruen designed some of the first malls and many pedestrian malls in the late 50s and 60s. This was his synopsis of all that is wrong with America, as seen at the height of suburban flight when there were no centers to the miles of residential homes. Cool ideas about utilitarian functions and peoples use of space. He hated the decentralization and sprawl and one solution was to create new centers where people could socialize and experience culture together. Ironically this was the mall, which he saw as the centers of dense new towns. His unfinished plans for Fort Worth, Texas still influence planners today.

This book was in Walt Disney's office bookshelf at the Disney Studios before he died in 1966. He read this book religiously as he dedicated the last part of his life to his mega project of E.P.C.O.T, (Experimental, Prototype, Community, Of, Tomorrow).