Your City’s Learning Ecologies

An "ecology" is a diverse and complex set of agents, processes, relationships, partnerships and actions. It is a web and system, or a series of networks within networks. In ecologies, there is no "above" or "below," no "first" or "last", no hierarchies at all.

Every city has many kinds of ecologies: social, natural, psycho-spiritual, intergenerational, artistic, etc. These ecologies are not separate from one another, because the individuals, relationships, actions and resources which comprise them are not separate. A ‘learning ecology’ brings all of these ecologies together, since learning is intrinsically embedded in all of them.

Understanding and assessing your city’s learning ecology begins with place-rooted vision building: individuals and collectives co-create a shared vision of how they want to live together, in the present and in the future. This vision is based on the unique contexts of the place, the personalities of the people, and the energy and spirit that emerge when they come together. Imagine Chicago’s founding vision was of "a city where nothing and no one is wasted", a vibrant, diverse and connected economy and society. Imagining this city led us to rethink possibilities, roles and responsibilities, resources and assets, to work on behalf of a city in which imagination flourishes everywhere, in everyone.

Think about the many different systems and sub-systems of your ecology: individuals, families, neighbors, neighborhoods, organizations, religious groups, work-related groups, bio-regions, cultures, languages, etc. What are obstacles and dangers to imagination and action? What are key opportunities/resources?