The ways that cities and regions can truly advance themselves in meaningful ways hinges upon their ability to think and act as cities and regions.  Getting to the point where this may be accomplished is a long and difficult road, to say the least; learning is at the center of this.

But designing and conducting a sustained learning process at the level of cities and regions is complex and challenging.  How is city and region “learning” done?  What are the processes and approaches that must be followed?  How can necessary technical information and analyses be employed in understandable ways in these processes?  These are difficult questions.  Meaningful conversations that lead to learning at the city and region levels require broad frames of reference and thinking that crosses boundaries presented by differing disciplines, ideologies, cultures, and perspectives.  If the conversations are to be understood by multiple stakeholders, they must be conducted using plain and simple language that is accessible to these multiple audiences. 

In the attached link William Cronon, a U.S. environmental historian at the University of Wisconsin, touches on many points related to issues in communications and analyses in his conversation with Prof. Harry Kreisler of the University of California-Berkeley in Kreisler’s “Conversations with History” series.  Cronon is the Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.  He also was President of the American Historical Association in 2012.

In discussing his work over many years, crossing several disciplines and multiple types of inquiry and in many different places in the world, Cronon offers thoughts on how we can do some of our work better.  While not speaking to the notion of city and region learning directly, much of his discussion has direct relevance, particularly in thinking about how we communicate.  He discusses the importance of story-telling in conveying important ideas and in developing “narratives”.  He discusses the importance of being brief in our communications but not so brief that we lose important context necessary to advance ideas and understanding.  He talks about coming to audiences where they are and not asking them to come to us within our respective disciplinary frameworks and orientations.  He points out the challenges of being both “deep” and “broad” in how we analyze things of importance.  He talks about the great importance of conversing in plain and simple language while remaining true to the complexities of our world.  He makes references to the importance of a regionally-engaged university, something the University of Wisconsin is noted for.  As we all increasingly try to say less and to share ideas in short form over the worldwide web, he discusses the challenges this abbreviated conversation presents.  Cronon is a high-level scholar and academician, but he is known for how well he communicates with all audiences in imparting complex propositions.  If you have the time, please go to the link below and listen to Cronon’s interview with Prof. Kreisler.

Cronon is very much concerned with “place” and how different places look and change over time.  He is concerned about our future environmental and economic sustainability, while having interesting perspectives on how our ideas of nature are changing over time.  He is well-known for a past book entitled Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West.  His forthcoming book is entitled: Saving Nature in Time: The Past and the Future of Environmentalism.  He developed a lot of his thinking while studying in England and from exploring caves in his youth in Wisconsin, looking at communities from below as well as above.  He sees communities as “layers” on top of layers over time.  The Cronon interview is one hour in length, but well worth the time.  I hope you will take time to listen.

Link: http://www.williamcronon.net/

William Cronon

Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Past President of the American Historical Association (2012)

Born: September 11, 1954 (age 60), New Haven, CT

Books: Changes in the Land, Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West

Education: Yale University (1990), University of Oxford(1981), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jesus College, Oxford

Awards: MacArthur Fellowship, Bancroft Prize,Guggenheim Fellowship for Humanities, US & Canada

Nominations: Pulitzer Prize for History

Submitted by Larry Swanson, Director, O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West, U. of Montana, USA