This book investigates the evolving spatial and cultural convergence between American cities and their surrounding suburbs, challenging traditional dichotomies of urban versus suburban environments. Judith K. De Jong, an expert in urban design, utilizes a combination of architectural analysis, demographic data, and cultural observation to argue that the American metropolis is undergoing a process of flattening. She posits that suburbs are increasingly adopting urban characteristics while cities integrate suburban formal practices, resulting in a new, hybrid landscape that defies conventional planning categories.

Experts in urban design and planning recognize this work as a critical contribution to the study of contemporary metropolitan morphology. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the text, which provides a necessary update to traditional urban theory for modern practitioners and scholars.