A Remembrance of Phil Trenary
With a deep sense of loss, I extend my sympathy to the many friends and family members of Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, who was fatally...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 28, 2018 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Leadership
With a deep sense of loss, I extend my sympathy to the many friends and family members of Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, who was fatally...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 27, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
Approximately $800 million in city and county taxes has been waived in the past 10 years, but when the conversation turns to the out-of-control PILOTs here,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 25, 2018 | Economic Development, Poverty
“Our advantage is the Negro…and there is no race problem at all.” That comment was made in 1900 when The Commercial Appeal was assessing the state of a new century’s...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 21, 2018 | Data Points, Economic Development, Talent
We were writing in our last post about the risks of being hypnotized by our own hyperbole, and living in a world...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 19, 2018 | Data Points, Economic Development, Poverty
We’ve written over the 13 years of this blog about the risks associated with hypnotizing ourselves with our own hyperbole, and as examples, we cited...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
Memphis population within its 1970 city limits is 27.4% less – 169,827 people – than it was in 1970. Memphis population within its 1960 city limits is 41.3% less – 209,203 people – than it was in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 14, 2018 | Economic Development
David Ciscel is professor emeritus of economics at University of Memphis. By David Ciscel The University of Memphis is our local University. When the Wall Street...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 12, 2018 | Arts and Culture, City of Memphis Government, Livability
This post is written by Emily Ballew Neff, executive director of Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, a singular cultural amenity for this community. By Emily Ballew Neff...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 11, 2018 | Uncategorized
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 10, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
The idea of the City of Memphis withdrawing from the Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) and setting up its own...
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 at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. 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: “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.