This work faces the crisis of the city in the late 20th century, embarking on a journey through theatres and museums, panoramas and maps, buildings and institutions that are used to construct a new reading of the city as a system of representation. Boyer brings together elements and concepts from geography, critical theory, architecture, literature and painting in a synthetic and readable work that is broad in its reach and original in its insights. What emerges is a sense of the city reinvigorated with richness and potential.