Garden cities sought to combine the best of town and country living to provide healthy vibrant communities on a human scale: affordable housing for all classes in tree-lined streets with well-tended gardens, jobs within easy commuting distances, integrated transport, all surrounded by a green belt to prevent urban sprawl. The first examples were built in England in the early years of the twentieth century but the idea soon caught on internationally, with garden cities being planned and built in the USA, Australia, Germany and Japan amongst countries. Alfred Sennett's little known classic work offers one of the most comprehensive accounts of garden cities. Its two volumes cover not only the history and idea of the garden city but are unique in their encycopaedic coverage of the practicalities of the garden city. Among the topics covered are transport, building materials, agriculture, self-cleansing streets, rolling roofs, as well as the sociological aspects. He draws comparisons with cities of the ancient world but also with cities in other countries.

Alfred Richard Sennett was a Member of the Advisory Committee on Road Improvements and of the Research Committee on Road Traction. Trained in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering Garden Cities in Theory and Practice is his magnum opus.