Remembering Phil Trenary A Year Later
It’s been a year since Greater Memphis Chamber president Phil Trenary was murdered as he walked from a Chamber event to his downtown home. We think of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 27, 2019 | Uncategorized
It’s been a year since Greater Memphis Chamber president Phil Trenary was murdered as he walked from a Chamber event to his downtown home. We think of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 26, 2019 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Uncategorized
It is a regular part of media coverage and blog posts that someone will knock Memphis by talking about the cranes in Nashville. We have said over and over and over that no city in the Southeast can match the momentum of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 24, 2019 | Livability, Neighborhoods
This Thursday, September 26, at 5:30 p.m., Neighborhood Preservation Inc. continues its outstanding documentary series examining core neighborhoods disinvestment. This screening spotlights the sixth episode in the nine-part...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 23, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Planning and Urban Design, Taxation
While the celebration of billions of dollars in construction projects captures the headlines, the irony is that there are fine-grained, place-based projects that can in the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 19, 2019 | City of Memphis Government
A Tale of Two Fires – Fiscal Arson or Flaming Growth? By Kemp Conrad, Memphis City Council Chairman Today’s headline in the Daily Memphian, “Roaring Memphis economy best in decades, economist says” is proof positive we are...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 16, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
If EDGE approves a tax holiday for a Mississippi bank that wants to build a new Memphis office, it should simply close its doors and put an ATM out front. It now officially will...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 13, 2019 | Economic Development, Uncategorized
Note: When adjusted for cost of living, Memphis is #2 in annual salaries: the unadjusted salary of $70,000 becomes adjusted salary of $76,800. Only Birmingham is higher with an adjusted salary of $77,000 from an unadjusted one...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 11, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability
If the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s maintenance of state streets is an indication of that government’s opinion of Memphis, it is one of complete disdain. For at least four years, City of Memphis – led by...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 9, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Planning and Urban Design, Shelby County government, Transportation
When we wrote last week that the pushback would be aggressive against Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ proposal to fund MATA with a $145 annual fee for owners of more than...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 5, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Transportation
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ proposal to provide almost $10 million for Memphis Area Transit Authority is an important step toward a better future that recognizes...
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.