The issue of race in architecture is a complicated and often divisive one. Traditional methods of architectural history and theory tend to attribute a city's civic and cultural identity to the dominant culture. Ignored are more marginal cultures without a tradition of public building, often preventing a complete understanding of the city and the forces that shape it.?

These essays explore the historic and contemporary effects of race upon the development of the built environment, and examine the myths and realities of America's racial landscapes. Its multi-disciplinary approach identifies and interprets the black cultural landscape, examining its visual, spatial, and ideological dimensions.?

Contributors to this collection include Nathaniel Belcher, Felicia Davis, Sheryl Tucker deVasquez, K. Ian Grandison, Bradford Grant, Walter Hood, and Mabel O. Wilson.