In 1935, Le Corbusier visited the United States for the first time at the invitation of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. A unique report of this trip formed the basis of this book, first published in French in 1937 and translated into English after the war, in 1946.

The great innovator could not help but be impressed by New York's skyscrapers and the rapid industrial development of America in the 20th century. Elevators, drives, subways, the verticals and horizontals of Manhattan sparked his intense interest. Le Corbusier was inspired by the rhythm of New York, its new music (Louis Armstrong's hot jazz), and its new social dynamics.

In his poetic report, he first formulates the idea of the vertical city, which a century later would be further developed by another architect enamored with the Big Apple — Rem Koolhaas. America reminded Le Corbusier of the formative era of Europe, a time when technological and social progress were inseparable, when cathedrals were white and the most advanced structures of their time.

His only criticism of the "nation of athletes" was that Americans were indecisive people, unable to keep pace with technological leaps, as skyscrapers could have been even taller.