For those whose knowledge of city planning is mostly 20th century and English/American, this book will be helpful. P describes French thought about city design and planning during the 19th century, the point being that many of H's innovations were already in the air and sometimes in concrete before that time. The idea of thinking of the city as an organic whole, and the importance of circulation (Harvey, 1628, the blood; Adam Smith, 1776, the circulation of capital), are not new but here they have an historical context.