[2] Futterman was a widely cited expert on urban renewal, having authored The Future of Our Cities, published in August 1961 by Doubleday & Co — with an introduction by architect Victor Gruen.

The book gives a global survey metropolitan development and redevelopment and an analysis of 17 specific U.S. cities, with a "dramatic documentation of the economic dependence of major urban centers on defense contracts and military installations.

"[3] For the breadth of work within his brief professional career, the Akron Beacon Journal in June 2008 called Futterman a real estate "boy genius.

The Futtermans lived in a house designed by Rosario Candela[citation needed] in Harrison, NY with their five children; Shari, Michael, Evan, Miryam and Joel.

Robert Futterman died in November 1961, at age 33, suffering a heart attack after choking on a piece of meat (reported variously as a sandwich) at a dinner party at the home of friends in New York.

His real estate career began in 1952 with a New York law firm, where he assisted in managing client properties, beginning with rent collection in several buildings razed for the Lincoln Square Project.