<p>The first part of the book is both a homage to the nature and appeal of the squares of Venice and an analysis of their physical qualities in urbanistic terms.</p><p>The Venetian settings were chosen for their freedom from auto traffic, streets, or peculiarities of topography. The narrative then takes those insights and applies them in a corresponding examination of a wide variety of modern-day urban spaces in America, to determine which are being emulated today and which less so.</p>