Cities of Tomorrow explores contrasting urban visions, such as the anarchist-inspired garden city movement of Ebenezer Howard and the totalitarian vision of Le Corbusier's "Radiant City." Hall contrasts the creation of self-sufficient communities with the large-scale, top-down approach of monumental city planning.

For anyone who has studied urban planning, a familiar challenge often emerges when classroom theory meets the real world: the textbook ideal of a community plan can quickly crumble under the weight of political realities.