There is a connection between the built environment and quality of living, public health, economic prosperity and entrepreneurship. The changes in our building patterns since World War-II have been destructive, unhealthy, and nonfunctional. We can’t afford low-density growth in the long run because it costs too much in public infrastructure and makes it nearly impossible for the local economy to survive (i.e.: small-business owners and shops). The book talked about the ills of ‘sprawl’ which are social and economic, and he discusses the solution, which involves a change in zoning, infill projects (fill in empty spaces), carrots for businesses to build in the city, not in the burbs or on the outskirts, public transportation projects, moratoriams on highway and road building, and change in the business practices of large-scale developers. The movement the book started is called Neo-traditional neighborhood planning and/or NEW URBANISM.