Are Memphis Salaries Too Low To Inspire Innovation?
Here’s hoping that in the closing weeks of the county mayor’s campaign, our struggling economy – when compared to peer cities – would take center stage with a discussion...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 17, 2018 | Economic Development
Here’s hoping that in the closing weeks of the county mayor’s campaign, our struggling economy – when compared to peer cities – would take center stage with a discussion...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 13, 2018 | Trends and Issues
Print journalism in Memphis these days resembles the free agent chaos that follows the NBA season, but in this case, every journalist is a free agent. At the eye of the storm – and the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 11, 2018 | Shelby County government
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funds the definitive data site, County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, which allows us to compare counties and determine how our...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 2, 2018 | Uncategorized
The filing for Memphis Fourth Estate Inc. was made April 24 with the Tennessee Secretary of State by Memphis attorney Charles Newman. If the corporation’s charter tells us anything, it...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 27, 2018 | Trends and Issues
There have been so many defections from The Commercial Appeal in recent weeks that the resignation of longtime award-winning investigative reporter Marc Perrusquia...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 25, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government
Maybe, just maybe, rather than taking sides in the debate about economic development in Memphis and Shelby County, we should take out a blank sheet of paper and design what a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 21, 2018 | Leadership, Neighborhoods, Planning and Urban Design
There’s a lot of interest in the new digital media outlet being put together here – likely to be...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 19, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Transportation
If we had any skepticism about the entry of the Bird motorized scooters into Memphis, it was destroyed in our walk down Main Street yesterday to lunch. There,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 18, 2018 | Education
Another Shelby County Board of Commissioners’ budget vote, another shortchanging of public schools in Shelby County. It all began just over a decade ago with...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 13, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Transportation
Years ago, we blogged about the deteriorating condition of Lamar Avenue, the negative impact it had on our economy, and the risks that Memphis was about to lose existing...
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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.