From Education Week blogs by Marilyn Rhames: Back in the days when I had no idea of what was actually required to be a good teacher, back when I was in grad school studying education theory and making foolish assumptions about how to manage students, I walked in on a conversation in a teacher’s lounge [...]

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MPACT Memphis should be getting ready to celebrate its 10th anniversary and the spotlight that it has shined for a decade on the importance of young professionals for our city’s success. Instead, it may have to plan for a wake. With MPACT now staring directly into the face of its potential demise, it seems a [...]

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In keeping with our I-269 theme of the day, we’re reprising a post written by Gene Pearson: Many political leaders and grass roots organizations in Memphis today are advocating “smart growt,” “sustainable development,” and something called “new urbanism” as an answer to the ills of “urban sprawl,” which robs the core city of its vitality [...]

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I-269 will unquestionably take a toll on Shelby County. That’s why it’s high time for Shelby County to place a toll on I-269. For too long, there’s been a dismissive attitude about anything that could change the interstate highway’s determined march around the outskirts of Shelby County, including a dip into Fayette County at one [...]

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By Neal Peirce, citiwire.net: Maybe you’ve seen the headlines — “Engineers Warn Infrastructure Crumbling” — accompanied by stories saying it’s imperative we spend billions, sometimes trillions to fix America’s deteriorating roadways, bridges, water and sewer systems. I’ve written some of those stories myself. And there’s no doubt — keeping public infrastructure in shape, like fixing [...]

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We received the following email from Les Edwards, who has done a masterful job of proving the support that exists for the “right” kind of bike lanes on Madison Avenue.  The “compromise” he describes is not only unwarranted based on public support for the lanes nor based on the  facts.  In Memphis and some other [...]

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Great news.  Downtown Memphis Commission President Paul Morris is interested in the suggestion made on this blog earlier this week that City of Memphis should seek compensation for blocked sidewalks – a la the fence at the Hickman Building – or blocked streets – a la Madison Avenue. Mr. Morris said he is following up [...]

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From the Chronicle of Higher Education: By Rachel Wiseman At a time when women are consistently outperforming men in college enrollment and completion, women tend to value higher education more highly than men do and believe it has had a more positive impact on their lives, according to the results of a survey that was [...]

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  The Bass Pro deal for The Pyramid is disturbing. And our concern has nothing to do with the terms of the agreement. It’s about the dependable Greek chorus of people who complain anytime Memphis pursues anything that requires city government to act like a modern, big city government.  They sometimes are the same people [...]

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Transportation infrastructure accounts for 20% to 40% of all urban land. These systems grossly enable global warming, with transit now representing an outsize 30% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. But for as little as $20,000, cities can convert streets, highway underpasses, parking lots, and more into urban oases that encourage people to get the [...]

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We were writing again Friday about examples of urban indifference, and it sparked a conversation about the derelict Hickman Building, a prominent eyesore for the YMCA/downtown school neighborhood, and its “temporary” fence. First, here’s some information on the building: From Memphis Daily News, 2005: The Hickman Building is located at 240 Madison Ave. Built as [...]

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It’s an aphorism repeated by local government employees that technology is always several generations behind the private sector. Despite all the public rhetoric in support of government “acting like a business,” the priority to fund direct services to the public always gobbles up money that could be used to bring technology up to standard expected [...]

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From The Black Urbanist: Floating through airports over the summer, I have noticed how remarkably similar they are. I would think  an international building with the ability to showcase the local culture would in fact be that showcase. Instead, I’m seeing  the same generic architecture. I feel that the airport, as the million (and lately [...]

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From Harvard Business Review Blogs: If you care about social innovation and haven’t already heard about social impact bonds, let us be the ones to tell you about them. In fact, we’ve written about them before, and they’ve been well described by others, so we’ll keep this description brief: The social impact bond is a [...]

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Has this ever happened to you? It’s a gorgeous morning and you want to spend the day outside at a park, but with so many great public places to choose from, where do you go? Ever wondered which type of outdoor park best suits your personality? The Trust for Public Land has created a fun [...]

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A couple of good- and hopeful – things to report this week: The ever-conscientious Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter ordered the partial reopening of Madison Avenue between Main and Second.  Memphis Mayor A C Wharton said that the opening will be “soon.”  He tweeted: “It should be soon. A barrier must be constructed around the [...]

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You can’t pick up a publication these days without seeing some reference to “green jobs” – who has them, what they do, what regions are taking a leadership role, etc.   That kind of attention on the green economy is certainly good, but so many of the studies and articles seem to miss the point [...]

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From Governing; By Jim Balfanz and Jim Emerman We celebrate individuals from time to time for breaking new ground or delivering creative, efficient solutions to public problems. But rarely do we pay attention to where tomorrow’s innovators will come from. Let’s change that trend. To make real progress on our toughest social challenges, especially at [...]

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Now here’s a ranking we liked: Midtown is ranked the 18th best zipcode in U.S. for fun.  Check it out here. “Beale Street (located near the 38104 Zip Code) is well known for its many bars, but other parts of the musical Tennessee city also offer a variety of dining and nightlife options. Midtown Memphis, [...]

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  Town mayors and county school officials have now fully reaped what they sowed. As they enjoy their ever-present victimhood, they seem oblivious to the reasons they now find themselves as part of a new, countywide school district.  In last year’s referendum on consolidating city and county governments, they vehemently denounced the pro-consolidation mantra: “Doing [...]

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From Alternet: As presidential candidate Michele Bachmann chews up scenery in the GOP primaries, the mainstream media is finally digging into her extremist beliefs in a serious way. In a profile published earlier this week, the New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza talked about Bachmann’s radical right-wing influences, which include the most extremist figures in the history of [...]

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