This week Ron and Ed welcomed Chelsea Follett to talk about her book, Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World. From the book: "Where does progress happen? The story of civilization is the story of the city. It is cities that have created and defined the modern world by acting as the sites of pivotal advances in culture, politics, science, technology, and more. There is no question that certain places, at certain times in history, have contributed disproportionately toward making the world a better place. This book tells the story of 40 of those places." In Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World, Chelsea Follett examines a diverse group of cities, ranging from ancient Athens to Song-era Hangzhou.

Use these show notes to follow along with the audio:

Segment one:

Chelsea spends a lot of time thinking about human progress (get it?) and the conditions that drive it. This inspired her to write a book called “Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World”. More info here: https://www.amazon.com/Centers-Progress-Cities-Changed-World/dp/1952223652
Chelsea started writing this book during the pandemic and this (the pandemic) caused people to question cities and their role in the future. It was HARD the trim the list down to 40 cities for her book.
Most of the cities in Chelsea’s book were selected by reverse engineering things like a stable food supply and sanitation (for example). The origin points became some of the cities featured in her book.
Urban centers are where we have seen new innovations and world changing innovations. Chelsea’s book - “Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World” - goes through the examples

Segment two:

Relative peace, freedom, and multitudes of people are some of the key attributes associated with the Centers of Progress identified in Chelsea’s book. More info here: https://www.amazon.com/Centers-Progress-Cities-Changed-World/dp/1952223652
Sure, sure…human accomplishment can happen during times of war and instability. Chelsea’s book looks at the conditions that foster creativity and progress to help cultivate innovation. Peace and stability.
“Conditions for progress can unravel so quickly. One of the most recent examples is Hong Kong.” —Chelsea Follett
Many people assume the humanities are the result of leisure time, entrepreneurs, inventions. Writing evolved gradually due to…accountants and their need to document finances. Apt for our audience :)

Segment three:

“Economic development […] then funds all of the other forms of progress. Scientific advancements, inventions, great artworks.” —Chelsea Follett
So much of the great music that we are familiar with TO THIS DAY all occurred in Venice. That’s where artists were well paid so it was lucrative for them. More on great cities here: https://www.amazon.com/Centers-Progress-Cities-Changed-World/dp/1952223652
How did Thomas Edison influence Hollywood? At the time he was a very litigious man so the only way creative freedom in film could happen would be to go all the way to the West Coast…where Hollywood was created.

Segment four:

Why is Wellington, New Zealand in Chelsea’s book about 40 cities that changed the world? They represent significant moral progress in the area of suffrage throughout the city’s history.
China was superior in many aspects during the 12th century through the 16th century. Conditions for prosperity are fragile and not being at the front of the Industrial Revolution for China is a great example.
San Francisco is a “city of extremes” and is featured in Chelsea’s book, “Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World”. More info here: https://www.amazon.com/Centers-Progress-Cities-Changed-World/dp/1952223652
A big THANK YOU to Chelsea Follett for joining us today to talk about her book, “Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World”. More info here: https://www.amazon.com/Centers-Progress-Cities-Changed-World/dp/1952223652

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