A university can thrive in a city or a suburb, but a city, by its nature, has certain immediate advantages over the 'burbs.

In a city, you find historic buildings in need of redevelopment, ample sidewalks and street-life, ready-to-go water and sewer services, both private and public transportation networks, relatively high population densities, central business districts, and, especially if the city is struggling to get back on its feet, leaders who crave the kind of economic development spurred by the presence of a university.

I say these things because it's important for the Washington Legislature, which so far has punted on the issue of where to locate the University of Washington's next branch campus, to both remember what has worked best in the past and to remain as pragmatic as possible in finally making a decision.

Consultants have recommended building the new branch UW campus in downtown Everett. However, Marysville and Lake Stevens are lobbying for it, and the political bickering that has ensued has stalled a decision.

It is instructive to consider what happened in Tacoma, which struggled over whether to locate a UW branch campus in downtown or away from its city center. Ultimately, the campus moved into the heart of Tacoma, and the results have been remarkable: Student enrollment is high, financial support is equally so, and the city is seeing new development, including condos, shops and restaurants, take off.

I wrote a story, "A Tale of Two Colleges," that contrasted the branch campuses in urban Tacoma and suburban Bothell and, while Bothell has garnered some success, Tacoma's urban campus has seen so much more. In fact, leaders of UW Bothell concede that, in contrast to Tacoma's campus, it's been difficult to carve out a distinctive identity for the Bothell campus because of its suburban, somewhat out-of-the-way location. (Conversely, the Bothell campus is quite peaceful, unlike the busy urban feel of Tacoma's campus, and features lovely walking trails and preserved wetlands).

In fact, as this Wall Street Journal story points out, many universities increasingly are seeing the light: that they share a unique connection to the urban areas they inhabit. As a result, they're expanding their mission to include rejuvenating surrounding neighborhoods and cities. What that means is less crime in cities, safer neighborhoods and more attractive places to do business.

Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, puts it bluntly to the WSJ: "If we don't take on the challenge of helping to redevelop our part of the city, nobody else is going to do it as well as we are going to do it."