Library book discussion will consider proposal of more cooperation among rural cities
Author Robert Wolf will discuss his book, ”Building the Agricultural City: A Handbook for Rural Renewal,” tonight (May 3) at 6:30 p.m. at the Prairie du Chien Memorial Library.
The Prairie du Chien Memorial Library will host a talk and discussion on Robert Wolf’s new book,”Building the Agricultural City: A Handbook for Rural Renewal,” on May 3 at 6:30 p.m.
“Building the Agricultural City” is a call for collaborative rural economic development, addressed primarily to residents of the Driftless Region. Wolf’s proposal calls for cooperation between cities and across county and state lines.
If, instead of seeing themselves as separate entities, the towns and cities within a three- or four-county area saw themselves as neighborhoods within a larger unit, they would form what Wolf calls an “agricultural city.” Clustering in this manner would encourage cooperative economic development.
“We will continue to be hammered by the global economy,” Wolf said, “if we can’t put aside rivalries and work to build a cooperative, more self-sufficient economy.
“We can no longer rely on state and federal grants. We have to think like the people who first settled here. They built these towns and they did it without grants. We have to relearn self-reliance.”
Copies of the book can also be purchased at Valley Fish and Cheese in Prairie du Chien or at the library the evening of May 3. Contact the library at 326-6211 or visit www.pdcpubliclibrary.org for more information.
