Dr. King Has Never Been More Relevant Than Today’s Holiday
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 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...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 8, 2026 | Uncategorized
Cartoonist Bill Day never fails to prove the point that a picture – in his case, a cartoon – is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 8, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Data Points, Economic Development, Leadership, Planning and Urban Design, Shelby County government
As this blog approaches its 21st year, looking back at the past two decades conjures up events...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 2, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, State Government
By Susan Adler Thorp In the many years I’ve observed and written about local business, government,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 29, 2025 | Arts and Culture
My family went to see the movie Song Sung Blue last Friday to show our support for our hometown...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 23, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Parks and Greening, Tourism
After months of high-powered negotiations involving Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 18, 2025 | Economic Development, Education, Talent
This blog post was previously published as my City Journal column in January, 2025, Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 15, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is expected today to once again perfunctorily approve Tax...
Read More
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.