by SCM (RSS) Economic Development | February 6th, 2012 2:00pm CST | No Comments
From Atlantic Cities: Sunni terrorist detonates a bomb at a crowded Shiite shrine in Iraq. Political anti-Semitism is on the rise in the Russian Federation, even though most of its Jews have long-since emigrated. Millions of Central Africans have died because of the long-standing enmity between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples. Prejudice is present in [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | January 23rd, 2012 12:41am CST | 3 Comments
There was little time for a celebration following the Greater Memphis Chamber’s announcement about $1.2 billion in private investment and 14,000 new jobs. The day after the Chamber announcement, Brookings Institution ranked us as one of the worst-performing metropolitan economies in the world — #171 of the [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | January 5th, 2012 1:48am CST | 3 Comments
The problem with negotiations is that hindsight is always 20-20 when the smoke clears a few months later. The truth of the matter is that City of Memphis, Shelby County, and State of Tennessee could have insisted on putting more conditions into the contract with Electrolux. It is equally true [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | December 29th, 2011 12:55am CST | 1 Comment
The guest post today is by Steve Bares in observance of the 10 year anniversary of Memphis Bioworks. Dr. Bares is one of Memphis’ really smart thinkers, and Bioworks has been smart thinking from its inception. It leverages existing strengths, it’s the rare economic development project here that isn’t built on cheapness but quality, and [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | December 19th, 2011 12:10am CST | 10 Comments
Aerotropolis needs more lift if it is to really take off. We have had our questions about it, but it’s hard to have any questions about the facts: Memphis International Airport is our largest economic engine, FedEx is our largest employer, and logistics-related companies are the industry sector that sets us apart when compared to [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | December 7th, 2011 12:56am CST | 1 Comment
There are times when we hypnotize ourselves with our own hyperbole. There are many positive developments under way in Memphis, but our city has no margin for error. As a result, elected officials like Memphis Mayor A C Wharton are engaged in a constant balancing act. On one hand, [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development, Transportation | December 5th, 2011 12:26am CST | 39 Comments
Map of Long Range Transportation Plan Projects It’s easier to think of reasons why the University of Memphis should have kept football coach Larry Porter than reasons we should keep the Memphis MPO. The MPO (Memphis Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) has a record of failure when it comes to rational, well-reasoned transportation planning and [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | December 2nd, 2011 12:30am CST | 2 Comments
The national search for the first head of EDGE seems to be coming to a close, and it sounds like we will once again make the safe choice. While we have a bias for finding the best people in their fields and then doing whatever it takes to get [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development, Uncategorized | November 18th, 2011 12:42am CST | 12 Comments
We thought of Cosmo Castorini in Moonstruck as City Council talked about the proposal to build a publicly-funded garage in Overton Square: “It costs money because it saves money.” City government may appear to be saving money if it turns down the $6 million garage, but in the long-run, the decision will cost much more [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | November 16th, 2011 12:07am CST | 5 Comments
The timing is right for Memphis and Shelby County to determine what tools it needs in its toolkit if we are to compete in economic development. Then again, we should more often use some tools that we already have — Tax Increment Financing, Business Improvement Districts, and other state-authorized incentives created to attract investment and [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Regionalism | September 23rd, 2011 12:05am CST | Comments Off
About 50% of the metro population lives in Memphis, dwarfed only by San Antonio’s 62%. The population density of Los Angeles, is four times more than Memphis – 8,092 people per square mile compared to 2,053. The density of the L.A. MSA is 10 times greater than the Memphis MSA. The cost of transportation and [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | September 21st, 2011 12:26am CST | 3 Comments
So, how many jobs have been created during Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s two years in office? His television ad says 10,000. Channel 3 TV’s “truth test” says 7,320. The number of jobs created in the past year exceeds 15,000 jobs at least. In this regard, the Wharton campaign is modest in its claims. The [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | August 9th, 2011 12:05am CST | 55 Comments
African-Americans in Memphis are under siege. That can only mean one thing: Memphis is also under siege. Come to think of it, it also means that the region is under siege, despite the tone and content of suburban rhetoric to the contrary. We’ve been writing in recent weeks about the economic realities that face Memphis [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | August 3rd, 2011 12:05am CST | 11 Comments
We wrote last week about our hope that the newly-created EDGE organization will bring some new thinking to Memphis and Shelby County’s over-reliance on tax giveaways as the only arrow in our quiver, but we also hope they will consider some new concepts that ensure that the community does receive benefits if tax freezes are [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | July 28th, 2011 12:05am CST | 6 Comments
No one can say that there’s never any good news in the newspaper. Last week, the Memphis and Shelby County Industrial Development Board met for the last time. For years, the IDB has handed out tax waivers to anyone who could fill out the paperwork. The heaps of praise of the lawyer who has gouged [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development, Uncategorized | July 26th, 2011 12:51am CST | 5 Comments
The good news is that Memphis traditionally has not been hit as badly as many cities during normal economic downturns. The bad news is that Memphis hasn’t benefitted as much from the economic upticks either. This was made clear during the boom years of the Clinton Administrations as cities, especially downtowns, were remade by record [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | July 18th, 2011 12:26am CST | 11 Comments
McKesson Corporation’s request for the munificence of the Memphis and Shelby County Industrial Development Board frames up one of the primary fallacies in the unbridled IDB policies that waive $32 million in city-county taxes this year. McKesson, the largest health care company in the world with annual revenues of $109 billion, contends that it must [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | July 4th, 2011 12:05am CST | 2 Comments
Not since the days of Larry Finch and Ronnie Robinson has a Memphis duo received reviews as good as A C Wharton and Mark Luttrell. They’re scoring points, maybe not on the hardwood, but with the public where their teamwork is getting widespread praise. At no time since the county mayor’s office debuted in [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | June 22nd, 2011 12:07am CST | 14 Comments
Two recent reports make the compelling point: the problems facing us are regional in nature rather than the problems of Memphis alone. One was in a report by Brookings Institution that said that the Memphis MSA has the highest crime rate in the U.S. The other report – by U.S. Conference of Mayors – [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | May 9th, 2011 12:18am CST | 28 Comments
We think that Memphis Mayor A C Wharton may be the only city mayor with an Office of Talent and Human Capital. It was a strong first step. Now we need two more. Talent is the overriding factor in the economic success of a city. The other two factors: opportunity and place. The creation of [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | April 27th, 2011 12:02am CST | 2 Comments
There are many objectives that need to be more strongly on our economic development agenda, chiefly plans to develop more entrepreneurs, to wean ourselves from subsidizing companies with tax freezes to get them to love us, to attract and develop more talent, and to create a stronger, more vibrant sense of place. Add another [...]
by Smart City Memphis (RSS) Economic Development | April 25th, 2011 12:36am CST | 16 Comments
We may talk a good game about talent, but it’s time that at the top of our leaders’ priorities is to make Memphis a city of choice for college students. We may tend to lean on the ropes and take punch after punch from study after study, but it’s time to realize that we may [...]
by 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 →
Photograph by Amie Vanderford
Memphian Amie Vanderford is a photographer for peace and justice. Her portfolio includes photographs from Peru, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Indian, and her hometown.
