The Top 10 Blog Posts for 2014
Earlier this week, we posted the most read blog post of 2014: Creating a Culture of Opportunity for Memphis. You can read it here. The rest of the top 10 posts: #2 — It’s...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 31, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability, Politics and Government, Poverty, Regionalism, Talent, Transportation
Earlier this week, we posted the most read blog post of 2014: Creating a Culture of Opportunity for Memphis. You can read it here. The rest of the top 10 posts: #2 — It’s...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 29, 2014 | Economic Development, Poverty
Posted September 17, the following commentary was by far the most read and circulated post of 2014: The young man – African American, 23 years old – sits at a picnic table behind a Germantown assisted living facility with his...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 22, 2014 | Economic Development, Taxation
Greater Memphis Chamber President Phil Trenary, who’s clearly the right person at the right time for that organization, has said rightfully that the way to reduce poverty in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 18, 2014 | Economic Development, Taxation
We write regularly about how the tax holiday program for corporations in Memphis and Shelby County is broken and how, despite our largesse in doling out approximately $80...
Read MorePosted by SCM | Dec 17, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development
The following are two articles from the Chicago Policy Review (Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago). The first article disrupts the myth that tax breaks result in businesses growing the economy,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 15, 2014 | Economic Development, Education, Shelby County government
Every time a PILOT is approved, it gives away property taxes that would otherwise go to schools. That’s because almost 60% of the Shelby County property tax rate is allocated for...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 10, 2014 | Uncategorized
For the second time in little more than a year, Shelby County Government is taking action with the Tennessee Legislature to undermine a long-held policy that recognized the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 8, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice, Politics and Government
Listening to City Council discussions about more money for Memphis Police Department, we wonder if there’s an answer to the question: When exactly is enough...
Read MoreIt’s concentrated poverty, not gentrification, that cities like Memphis should be worrying about, according to Joe Cortright in another of his groundbreaking reports. High Poverty Census Tracts in Memphis almost doubled...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 4, 2014 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice
The protest in Memphis following the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri, was not one of Memphis’s finest hours. It wasn’t the protesters that created the negativity. ...
Read Moreby Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
Since 2005, this has been Smart City Consulting’s blog with the aim of connecting the dots and providing perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. Editor and primary author is Tom Jones, columnist, author of two books, and consultant on public policy. Smart City Memphis was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal wrote that “Smart City Memphis provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis’ past, present, and future you’ll find anywhere,” and the Memphis Flyer said: “This incredibly well-written blog sets out to solves the city’s ills – from the mayor to MATA – with out-of-the-box thinking, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ideas. If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.