Victor Gruen (1903-1980) is the commercial architect who became renowned in the 1950s America as the pioneer of shopping center , then by his urban redevelopement projects as the saviour of the downtowns , and by the mid-1960s as the architect of environment . This book will focus on Gruen’s theories and projects in the American practice between 1938 and 1968: especially with respect to the return of the city centre and urban culture as the focus of social and cultural life of the region.