September 3rd, 2010 12:52am UTC
We’re as appalled as the next person by the fact that former Collierville Mayor Linda Kerley was kicked out of a meeting by anti-consolidation forces in a Shelby County elementary school, but while the news media concentrated on whether it was indeed a public meeting, our question is more fundamental: Since when are campaign meetings [...]
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It’s the political equivalent of no good deed going unpunished. That’s the moral of the Memphis City Council’s attempt to bring reason to the city’s inequitable tax burden. But the Tennessee Supreme Court isn’t known for its legal courage, so instead of hearing arguments on this core question, it ducked. It declined to take up [...]
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Smart City Memphis' Recent Posts
More posts by Smart City Memphis
Smart City Contributors
September 1st, 2010 2:56pm UTC
1 Comment
We will soon see more new faces and new structures through elections, possible consolidations and general leadership changes in this region. I am asking these new faces to please respect the time, vision and expertise of the greatest minds in Shelby County by embracing Sustainable Shelby as a mechanism to inspire a cohesive push toward [...]
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August 30th, 2010 4:30pm UTC
6 Comments
The past couple of days I’ve been thinking about the City’s short sighted decision to approve the CVS at Union and Cooper over recommendations of rejection from both Office of Planning and Development and the Land Use Control Board. Why is it that just as the City seems to be gaining momentum (Unified Development Code [...]
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August 20th, 2010 10:56am UTC
6 Comments
This is the great recession, right? No one is moving on anything, right? Besides, Memphis is an extraordinary city with everything to offer and if there was a move to make it would be here, right? Then how is it that over only two weeks in July, Olive Branch, Mississippi, took the gold medal in [...]
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August 17th, 2010 12:29am UTC
8 Comments
Imagine Memphis, as it celebrates its 200th year in 2019—only 9 years away— and Shelby County Government – celebrating its 200th in 2020 – are known as the “FedEx and St. Jude City of the United States”– where our government absolutely positively delivers premium service to all citizens at a competitive price and where the [...]
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August 13th, 2010 12:57pm UTC
3 Comments
How “green” is Memphis? In today’s world of energy issues, from spills to national security, the question of a community’s level of greenness has never been more important. To many people, the concept of green is defined by a few issues that have been highly marketed by various interest groups. Things like wind turbines, solar [...]
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August 11th, 2010 12:07am UTC
17 Comments
I’m so proud of Memphis and all we’re doing to become a more sustainable city. But an event last week had me wondering if we’re really ready to become that city. A friend of mine was recently pulled over and given a ticket for three Class C Misdemeanor charges. No big deal, right? This happens every [...]
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August 8th, 2010 4:43pm UTC
2 Comments
This past decade witnessed one of the biggest urban building booms in the nation’s history. Memphis enjoyed its share of higher-density multifamily construction, renovation and conversion within its borders, particularly in its downtown. As we find footing in the wake of the housing market meltdown and ponder what market share multifamily should represent in this [...]
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August 4th, 2010 12:19am UTC
2 Comments
Last winter I wrote about five hours spent in Downtown Denver because I was so marvelously inspired by what was happening there. I have not felt that excited since… until now. A few days in DC and my outlook on life could not be any better. There is no better time than now to [...]
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August 2nd, 2010 3:13pm UTC
4 Comments
Marriage grabs all the headlines when it comes to so-called “gay rights” in the mainstream media. It’s understandable. Relationships matter. Legally sanctioned relationships confer protections, rights, responsibilities, benefits, etc. They connect us deeply and that’s why the symbolic warfare around them is so intense. What doesn’t get covered nearly often enough is the jobs agenda [...]
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July 31st, 2010 12:55pm UTC
1 Comment
Have you ever considered biking to work instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator? A partnership, called “Go Vibrant Cincinnati” is encouraging residents to do just that. “Go Vibrant Cincinnati,” a coalition of more than 25 Cincinnati-based organizations, is the first-of-its-kind civic partnership to make Cincinnati one of the top 10 [...]
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Memphis Wire
- Innovation Dublin 9.1.10 9:48pmFrom November 10-21, the city of Dublin will host the second Innovation Dublin festival where venues throughout the city region will open their doors to showcase and promote all facets of innovation in the city. The festival provides Dubliners, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, artists and large corporations with an opportunity to discuss, promote and ce...
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- Using Technology to Inspire Community to Action 8.24.10 9:09pmThese days, as people use Facebook to support Haiti, end hunger, and stand behind other causes, social networks have become the place to make a statement. Yet those clicks don’t necessarily turn into a movement to better communities. At least not yet. With the Knight Foundation’s focus on fostering informed and engaged communities, they started looking at wa...
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- A Greener Welcome in Indianapolis 8.18.10 6:32pmBy the time the sun sets on October 7, Indianapolis will have ten acres of new natural area. Even more amazing: it will happen in just eight hours. More than 9,000 Eli Lilly and Company volunteers will plant 72,000 native shrubs and perennials, and another 1,600 trees along a path traversed by 100,000 vehicles a day.The project, A Greener Welcome, will natur...
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- A High Line for Harlem 8.3.10 9:48pmAn innovative urban development project, spearheaded by the Harlem Community Development Corporation, could bring new energy and excitement to Harlem. Tentatively called La Marqueta Mile, the proposed mile-long, open air market under the Metro North tracks would span 22 blocks and house as many as 900 vendors, providing enormous opportunity to local entrepre...
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- Redeveloping an Old City in the Right (And Thoughtful) Way 7.28.10 6:43pmSyracuse, N.Y. is “rightsizing the city” with the help of a partnership among Mayor Stephanie Miner, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Vice President of Community Engagement Marilyn Higgins (both CEOs for Cities members), assorted neighborhood groups and business associations. An inspiring article posted on citiwire.net says that slowly but su...
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- The Accidental Giant of Higher Education 7.26.10 3:01pm"A woman with a plan" is the description the New York Times gives Dr. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York. In very short order, she has turned the "unloved colossus" into the best economic development hope for the state of New York. "My belief is that to move an organization forward you have to have a comm...
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- More Federal Funds for Tennessee 9.2.10 3:09pmIn the federal Race to the Top, Tennessee is surely a competitor. The state will share in a $170 million Race to the Top Assessment Program grant announced today by the U.s. Department of Education.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- Zoo On Ice 9.1.10 9:07pmIt won't just be penguins skating around the Memphis Zoo this winter. The Zoo announced today that it will build an outdoor ice-skating rink, to open in November.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- Midnight Ride Hit and Run 8.30.10 6:33pmI've heard two accounts this morning of a hit-and-run during the middle of Saturday night's popular Midnight Classic Bike Tour. Apparently, around 12:30 a.m.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- More With MCS Consultant Jeffrey Hernandez 8.26.10 1:45pmAs part of this week's print extravaganza, I interviewed controversial Memphis City Schools (MCS) consultant Jeffrey Hernandez. His $1,500-a-day consulting fee, coupled with an intense animosity for him from some parents in Palm Beach County and his ties to superintendent Kriner Cash and deputy superintendent Irving Hamer, have caused questions about hi...
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- Art Scene 8.24.10 8:55pm(Sorry posting has been so light thus far in the week. It's been crazy busy around here.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...
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- The Dance and Data of the Lemons 8.20.10 9:47pmLast week, the LA Times began an ambitious series focused on teacher effectiveness at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Using value-added data compiled from seven years of math and English test scores, the newspaper is exploring the (often, quite large) disparities between effective and ineffective teachers.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments ...
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