Supercharging Memphis’ Neighborhood Revitalization
It goes without saying that the front lines for Memphis’ battle for economic success, prosperity, talent, and progress are found in its neighborhoods. They are the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 28, 2015 | Neighborhoods, Poverty
It goes without saying that the front lines for Memphis’ battle for economic success, prosperity, talent, and progress are found in its neighborhoods. They are the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 23, 2015 | Uncategorized
I’m not sure where I was expecting to stumble across the meaning of Christmas, but I’m certain that I didn’t expect it to be a gas station in the hardscrabble part of Memphis at Macon Road and...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 21, 2015 | Neighborhoods, Planning and Urban Design
It’s City Hall’s Greek chorus: We’ve got no money and financial times have never been tougher. And yet, in the midst of the mantra, there are approvals...
Read MorePosted by Matt Timberlake | Dec 17, 2015 | Criminal Justice, Leadership, Trends and Issues
Matt Timberlake is a Memphis communications consultant and one of our favorite writers. His contributions to the blog are always appreciated and are widely read, such as his last...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 15, 2015 | Uncategorized
We’ve begun a new feature that flashes back to our blog posts 10 years ago. Here’s one from December 21, 2005, after a post-Katrina visit to New Orleans. It’s hard to visit New Orleans today and not be impressed...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 11, 2015 | Poverty
One of the many things on Mayor-elect Jim Strickland’s desk when he takes the oath of office on New Year’s Day is the Blueprint for Prosperity. As part of that...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 9, 2015 | Neighborhoods, Poverty
In light of recent questions regarding the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) being absorbed into EDGE, we are reposting a revised commentary from March 18, 2015: While we have advocated for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 7, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Neighborhoods
Six weeks ago, we wrote a blog post about the need to modernize the organizational structure of city government, and today we add an additional idea: creation of the City of Memphis Division of PLACE. It should be a given that...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 4, 2015 | Leadership
City Observatory’s weekly wrapup – which is indispensable reading – included an edited version of a speech by our dear friend and Memphian, Carol Coletta, Vice-President of Community and National Initiatives at...
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.