Sorry, But Trump’s Election Is Personal
It is inconceivable that the president of the United States could be someone my granddaughters cannot respect. But that is precisely where we will be January 20....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 11, 2016 | Leadership, Politics and Government
It is inconceivable that the president of the United States could be someone my granddaughters cannot respect. But that is precisely where we will be January 20....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 10, 2016 | Education, Shelby County government
This post is written by Jimmie Covington, veteran Memphis reporter with lengthy experience covering governmental, school, and demographic issues. He is a contributing writer with The Best Times, a monthly news magazine for...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 4, 2016 | Criminal Justice
It’s nothing short of amazing that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has successfully fooled so many people into believing that is apolitical and too pure to ever be tempted to intervene in partisan politics. The clumsy...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Nov 2, 2016 | Civil Rights
The long-awaited film about the Memphis Invaders was shown last night, and anyone alive in Memphis in 1968 remembers the impact that they had during the civil rights movement that culminated in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. coming...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 31, 2016 | Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
Here’s hoping Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell will insist on smart tax policy by turning down Germantown’s request for a county PILOT for a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 28, 2016 | Downtown Revitalization, Uncategorized
Harahan Bridge – considered the centerpiece for the Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector Project – opened to rave reviews last weekend, but we have always been as excited over the fact that the project would fix the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 25, 2016 | Civil Rights
The soon-to-be-ending (mercifully) presidential campaign has been marked with more bizarre events and comments than any in memory, but the strangest thing about it from our...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 21, 2016 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice
For about 10 years, there has been debate about the optimal size of the Memphis Police Department and recommendations in various studies have suggested fewer police and more...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 20, 2016 | Planning and Urban Design
It seems part of our DNA to take a “good enough” attitude when it comes to Memphis and to talk at length in conversations that aren’t about the pivotal – sometimes, uncomfortable – issues that can change the region’s trajectory....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Oct 18, 2016 | Neighborhoods, Planning and Urban Design, Poverty
In Memphis, geography is too often destiny. Where a person is born largely sets the choices and opportunities for one in four Memphians. There is a distinct geography where a large percentage of the 176,000 Memphians in...
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.