As the visionary behind the planned community in Radburn, New Jersey, Clarence Stein was heralded as one of the most progressive and controversial American architects and planners of the twentieth century. His ideas influenced well-known developments in Greenbelt and Columbia, Maryland; Reston, Virginia; and Woodlands, Texas. His collaboration with Benton MacKaye in the Regional Planning Association of America led to the building of the Appalachian Trail, America's prototypical greenway.

In The Writings of Clarence S. Stein: Architect of the Planned Community, Kermit Carlyle Parsons presents a wide-ranging selection of more than 500 annotated letters, papers, and other writings that shed light upon the personal struggles and professional achievements of this major force for change in community planning and regional design.

Parsons supplements these documents with a succinct biographical introduction to Stein's life and career, 137 illustrations (including photographs, plans of Stein's work, and personal sketches), a complete list of his many projects, a bibliography of Stein's own articles and books as well as articles about him, and biographical sketches of the people mentioned in the documents.