Who really benefits from urban revival? From trendy coastal areas to the nation’s heartland, cities are seeing levels of growth beyond the wildest visions of only a few decades ago. For a look at the ramifications of this explosive growth for our own region, we convene a panel of city planning experts and representatives for our local government. First, urban practitioner Alan Mallach shares insight from his book The Divided City, spotlighting the effects of revival on major metropolitan cities over the past 20 years. He contends that, in order to foster greater equality and opportunity in increasingly crowded cities, regions must develop local strategies that focus on the needs of the people—education, jobs, housing, and quality of life.

With these needs in mind, we turn to a panel of local policy-makers to discuss, compare, and contrast the challenges King County and the Puget Sound Region are facing in the wake of exponential growth. Sit in for a critical discussion with key figures in our local government as they share strategies for how Seattle and the region at large can overcome inequities resulting from the transformation of our urban area.

On Thursday, October 18, 2018, Alan Mallach gave a presentation at Pigott Auditorium at Seattle University. It was presented by Town Hall Seattle, Seattle University, The Housing Consortium, King County Green Tools. After his presentation a panel discussion took place with Jenny Durkan, Nancy Backus, Claudia Balducci. The conversation was moderated by Marty Kooistra and Patience Malaba. This is a recording of that evening's event.

Listen to the conversation from the Town Hall Seattle site or from the Island Press Soundcloud account