Data Points: Housing and Affordability
The number of housing units in Shelby County has increased 1.9% between 2010 and 2016, and as of July 2016, there are 406,022 units. The change...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 7, 2017 | Livability
The number of housing units in Shelby County has increased 1.9% between 2010 and 2016, and as of July 2016, there are 406,022 units. The change...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 6, 2017 | Economic Development
Fortune magazine is out with its list of the 500 biggest U.S. companies. Wal-Mart Stores remains at the head of the list although its profits are #11. ExxonMobile falls from #2 to #4,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 4, 2017 | Uncategorized
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 3, 2017 | Uncategorized
When you are 6 feet 9 inches tall and earn $6 million a year as an NBA player, people listen to you when you speak. That was clear from the interest in Tarik Black’s recent news conference announcing his new foundation, which...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 29, 2017 | Uncategorized
It’s hard to believe that there was a time 35 years ago that there were pundits and columnists who predicted that with the rise of technology, places would come to matter less and less....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 26, 2017 | Criminal Justice
Hopefully, Memphis Police Department’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice to fight crime in Memphis won’t be one of those federal programs we live to regret. Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 23, 2017 | Economic Development
In the National Urban League’s definitive report, State of Black America, it ranks the largest U.S. metros for its Equality Index. Metro Area Income...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 21, 2017 | City of Memphis Government, Poverty, Shelby County government
There is a lottery in Shelby County every day for an average of 37 people. The winners get a head start to more education, higher income, better...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 19, 2017 | Economic Development, Planning and Urban Design
Memphis and Liverpool continue their connections this summer with a “songwriters exchange” called From Memphis to the Mersey. Two people from each city will be selected to...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 16, 2017 | Civil Rights, Economic Development, Leadership
In a post last week, I wrote that although there is the widespread attitude that Memphis and Shelby County are the victims of forces beyond their control,...
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.