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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

September 1st, 2010 2:56pm UTC

2 Comments

We will soon see more new faces and new structures through elections, possible consolidations and general leadership changes in this region.  I am asking these new faces to please respect the time, vision and expertise of the greatest minds in Shelby County by embracing Sustainable Shelby as a mechanism to inspire a cohesive push toward [...]

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August 30th, 2010 12:54am UTC

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Tom Lee Park is the worst riverfront park in the country. That’s the comment made to Memphis City Council by Riverfront Development Corporation President Benny Lendermon, and surely, this is an RDC statement we can all agree to.  Rarely has such prime waterfront public realm real estate been put to such abysmal use in any [...]

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August 27th, 2010 12:33am UTC

9 Comments

Perhaps what local government needs most is a Department of Connecting the Dots. While one public agency talks about creating a workforce that can compete in the knowledge economy, another gives tax freezes to companies that perpetuate low-wage, low-skill jobs. While one government launches a “sustainability agenda,” no government seems able to rein in sprawl-inducing [...]

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August 26th, 2010 12:17am UTC

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  It seems that those of us who care about the built environment, urban design and planning, public realm and quality of life are often talking about it after a decision by government that flies in the face of a city that cares about itself. Maybe we should create a way, a process or a [...]

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August 23rd, 2010 12:05am UTC

10 Comments

We know the primary job description for a Chamber of Commerce is to be a reliable cheerleader for Memphis, but there are times when we just crave someone to tell us the truth. While we admire the dependable hyperbole that’s attached to all things Memphis, we are concerned that our leadership – not just at [...]

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August 20th, 2010 10:56am UTC

6 Comments

This is the great recession, right?  No one is moving on anything, right?  Besides, Memphis is an extraordinary city with everything to offer and if there was a move to make it would be here, right? Then how is it that over only two weeks in July, Olive Branch, Mississippi, took the gold medal in [...]

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August 17th, 2010 12:29am UTC

9 Comments

Imagine Memphis, as it celebrates its 200th year in 2019—only 9 years away— and Shelby County Government – celebrating its 200th in 2020 – are known as the “FedEx and St. Jude City of the United States”– where our government absolutely positively delivers premium service to all citizens at a competitive price and where the [...]

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August 13th, 2010 12:57pm UTC

3 Comments

How “green” is Memphis? In today’s world of energy issues, from spills to national security, the question of a community’s level of greenness has never been more important.  To many people, the concept of green is defined by a few issues that have been highly marketed by various interest groups.  Things like wind turbines, solar [...]

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August 11th, 2010 12:07am UTC

17 Comments

I’m so proud of Memphis and all we’re doing to become a more sustainable city.  But an event last week had me wondering if we’re  really ready to become that city. A friend of mine was recently pulled over and given a ticket for three Class C Misdemeanor charges. No big deal, right? This happens every [...]

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August 8th, 2010 4:43pm UTC

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This past decade witnessed one of the biggest urban building booms in the nation’s history.  Memphis enjoyed its share of higher-density multifamily construction, renovation and conversion within its borders, particularly in its downtown. As we find footing in the wake of the housing market meltdown and ponder what market share multifamily should represent in this [...]

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Memphis Wire

  • CEOs for Cities

    • Innovation Dublin 9.1.10 9:48pm
      From November 10-21, the city of Dublin will host the second Innovation Dublin festival where venues throughout the city region will open their doors to showcase and promote all facets of innovation in the city. The festival provides Dubliners, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, artists and large corporations with an opportunity to discuss, promote and ce...

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    • These days, as people use Facebook to support Haiti, end hunger, and stand behind other causes, social networks have become the place to make a statement. Yet those clicks don’t necessarily turn into a movement to better communities. At least not yet. With the Knight Foundation’s focus on fostering informed and engaged communities, they started looking at wa...

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    • By the time the sun sets on October 7, Indianapolis will have ten acres of new natural area. Even more amazing: it will happen in just eight hours. More than 9,000 Eli Lilly and Company volunteers will plant 72,000 native shrubs and perennials, and another 1,600 trees along a path traversed by 100,000 vehicles a day.The project, A Greener Welcome, will natur...

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    • An innovative urban development project, spearheaded by the Harlem Community Development Corporation, could bring new energy and excitement to Harlem. Tentatively called La Marqueta Mile, the proposed mile-long, open air market under the Metro North tracks would span 22 blocks and house as many as 900 vendors, providing enormous opportunity to local entrepre...

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    • Syracuse, N.Y. is “rightsizing the city” with the help of a partnership among Mayor Stephanie Miner, Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor and Vice President of Community Engagement Marilyn Higgins (both CEOs for Cities members), assorted neighborhood groups and business associations.  An inspiring article posted on citiwire.net says that slowly but su...

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    • "A woman with a plan" is the description the New York Times gives Dr. Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York.  In very short order, she has turned the "unloved colossus" into the best economic development hope for the state of New York.  "My belief is that to move an organization forward you have to have a comm...

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  • In The Bluff (Mary Cashiola)

    • In the federal Race to the Top, Tennessee is surely a competitor. The state will share in a $170 million Race to the Top Assessment Program grant announced today by the U.s. Department of Education.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...

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    • Zoo On Ice 9.1.10 9:07pm
      It won't just be penguins skating around the Memphis Zoo this winter. The Zoo announced today that it will build an outdoor ice-skating rink, to open in November.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...

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    • I've heard two accounts this morning of a hit-and-run during the middle of Saturday night's popular Midnight Classic Bike Tour. Apparently, around 12:30 a.m.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...

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    • As part of this week's print extravaganza, I interviewed controversial Memphis City Schools (MCS) consultant Jeffrey Hernandez. His $1,500-a-day consulting fee, coupled with an intense animosity for him from some parents in Palm Beach County and his ties to superintendent Kriner Cash and deputy superintendent Irving Hamer, have caused questions about hi...

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    • Art Scene 8.24.10 8:55pm
      (Sorry posting has been so light thus far in the week. It's been crazy busy around here.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]...

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    • Last week, the LA Times began an ambitious series focused on teacher effectiveness at the Los Angeles Unified School District. Using value-added data compiled from seven years of math and English test scores, the newspaper is exploring the (often, quite large) disparities between effective and ineffective teachers.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments ...

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  • About Smart City Memphis

    We are often blind to our own environment because of our assumptions, framed by media, insular thinking and our own prejudices. Smart City Consulting's blog – named one of the most intriguing in the U.S. by Pew Partnership for Civic Change – hopes to show how Memphis really is and could be through alternative questions, fresh approaches and new ideas. We hope to open your eyes - and your ears - to a new way of thinking about Memphis. Send ideas and emails to tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.
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