Ali Modarres is director of the urban studies program at the University of Washington — Tacoma. He spoke with KNKX All Things Considered host Ed Ronco.
Cities, by and large, want to grow. But with growth can come new challenges.
Seattle and San Francisco, for example, saw a housing crisis emerge as the tech boom sent the cost of living sky high – leading many middle- and lower-income residents to feel priced out.
Tacoma is experiencing some of those pressures, too. But Ali Modarres says the city has an opportunity right now to avoid big problems other communities have seen as they’ve grown.