Diagnosing Why Memphis Is Losing People – And What To Do About It
We live in a time of valuable research with insights into how cities succeed – and how they fail...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 10, 2026 | Population Loss
We live in a time of valuable research with insights into how cities succeed – and how they fail...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 7, 2026 | Cartoons
Cartoonist Bill Day never fails to prove the point that a picture – in his case, a cartoon – is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 5, 2026 | Cartoons
Note: My name is Joe Krattley. I’m a third year journalism student at the University of Minnesota....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 2, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Sports, State Government
Although City Hall officials said State of Tennessee’s $74 million funding for Beale Street was...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 29, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Federal Government, Federal Policy
10 Bullets: A cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bill Day. The National Guard members who appear...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 26, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Taxation, Tennessee Legislature
Tennessee Senator Brent Taylor and Tennessee Representative Tom Leatherwood have filed a bill in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 22, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Memphis History
Thumbnail: It’s incredulous that we are still working to shake off the vestiges of the Confederacy and incredulous even more that some fanatically hold up traitors who fought to destroy the United States so they could own human beings as property. Southern states not only lost the war but by clinging to racist myths of the Confederacy, they also sacrificed the future. In light of the continuing discussions about Confederate statues and the Confederacy itself, I’m posting this column written for MLK50.com on July 27, 2017.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 19, 2026 | Civil Rights, Federal Policy, Leadership, Uncategorized
Thursday of last week was Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday – the 58th since he was murdered in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 14, 2026 | Arts and Culture, City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development
Part 1 of this post can be read here. ** The Mud Island Amphitheater is an issue that offends few...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 12, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization
Sometimes, Memphis has a habit of mistaking familiar ideas for good ones. There’s the...
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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 →
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, City Journal columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. He has written articles for MLK50, The Commercial Appeal, and USA Today. The blog was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal said it “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 solve 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.