The most visible evidence of Seattle’s seemingly unstoppable economic boom may be the legion of construction cranes that tower above every neighborhood. These myriad construction projects—most in the nation—are needed to house and employ the flood of newcomers to the Emerald City. Census data shows that Seattle is adding new residents at the breathtaking rate of 1,000 per week.

But amid the headlines marveling over new buildings and their new inhabitants is a painful side effect of this growth: many long-time Seattleites are leaving. IRS data reveals that thousands of Seattleites are moving out.

Episode 5 of the Seattle Growth Podcast, season 3, explores the particulars of Seattle’s transformation that are driving some to depart for greener pastures, through interviews with life-long Seattleites Reverend Dr. Phyllis Beaumonte of Mount Zion Baptist Church, and Cole Austin, founder and CEO of Collab LLC.

Sam Assefa, director of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development, discusses what the city is doing to mitigate the negative impacts of transformation, preserve a sense of community, and avoid losing more of its long-time residents.

Your browser does not support the audio player.

Subscribe with iTunes

Reverend Dr. Phyllis Beaumonte Cole Austin Sam Assefa

The Seattle Growth Podcast is hosted and produced by Jeff Shulman, an associate professor of marketing and the Marion B. Ingersoll Professor at the UW Foster School of Business.