Downtown Streets Can Be Great Public Spaces, Too
At a time when downtown’s future hinges on it being more livable, walkable, and bikable, we too often default to our car-centric view of public space....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 14, 2017 | Downtown Revitalization, Planning and Urban Design
At a time when downtown’s future hinges on it being more livable, walkable, and bikable, we too often default to our car-centric view of public space....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 12, 2017 | Economic Development, Uncategorized
There are times when the truth hurts but the longer we obscure it, the longer it is before we get serious about finding solutions. That’s especially true when it comes to...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 8, 2017 | Economic Development, Uncategorized
The average jobs growth for regions the size of the Memphis between 2007-2017 was 9.1%. Jobs growth for the Memphis region was 0.4% with jobs increasing from 642,500 to...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 6, 2017 | Economic Development, Poverty
Continuing the theme from the last post, we cannot solve our region’s child poverty rate – the highest of any MSA in the country – unless we are address the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Dec 4, 2017 | Poverty
It’s never possible to argue with African Americans that if white children were facing the same disturbing facts of life that confront too many African American kids, the entire community would...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 30, 2017 | Uncategorized
We regularly revisit blog posts from 10 years ago. The following one comes from November 28, 2007: The first stirrings of a green ethos in Memphis are taking place...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 28, 2017 | Civil Rights, Trends and Issues
Trying to absorb the latest mindless presidential attack on the First Amendment and the media outlets that don’t genuflect to him, it seemed a good day yesterday for a little therapy. So, we watched...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 22, 2017 | Livability, Parks and Greening
In spring, 2015, I got a call from Shelby Farms Conservancy Executive Director Laura Morris asking if I would be interested in working on a project with her. The answer to that question is always yes, because over the past 13...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 20, 2017 | Planning and Urban Design
Three years ago, students of color at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design convened a conference to discuss how social justice issues could become centerpieces in city planning and design. Today, it is a movement....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
Per Capita Personal Income, BEA, released yesterday: Fulton County (Atlanta): $74,095 St. Louis County (St. Louis): $62,777 Henrico County (Richmond): $58,876 Travis County (Austin): $58,700 Wake...
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, 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.