Finding Memphis and Shelby County’s Competitive Edge
While we have advocated for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to become a key tool in our local economic development toolkit, the recommendation to place the city-county...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 18, 2015 | Economic Development, Taxation
While we have advocated for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to become a key tool in our local economic development toolkit, the recommendation to place the city-county...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 16, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Livability
Photograph by Phillip Van Zandt Photography If the Riverfront Development Corporation is ever going to have its chance to say, “I told you so,” this is it. After 15 years of blistering criticism and dogged resistance, its track...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 13, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Taxation
Revenue-starved governments are setting sights on ways to get taxes from hospitals and private universities. That why a lot of people are watching closely a bill proposed in Maine...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 12, 2015 | Economic Development
There are several organizations that thankfully are working on talent attraction and retention in Memphis, but none of the work is more important than the Memphis Urban League...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 9, 2015 | Economic Development, Talent
The presence of college graduates in a region is responsible for 58 percent of a region’s economic success. Here’s where the Memphis MSA stands: · Atlanta – 1,929,599 · St. Louis – 862,687 · ...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 5, 2015 | Economic Development, Poverty, Trends and Issues
Memphis should be so lucky as to have a gentrification problem. If it did, it would indicate that people are moving back into Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 3, 2015 | Economic Development, Poverty
The life of the poor in Memphis is so often about navigating through choices that are too often self-defeating, regardless of which one is chosen. There’s the penalty that is paid if you are a resident of public housing and get...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 27, 2015 | Criminal Justice
All Violent Crime Victims:* 78.0% — African American 17.5% — Caucasian 0.9% — Asian Murders: 73.1% — African American 26.9% — Caucasian 0.0% — Asian...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 25, 2015 | Criminal Justice, Shelby County government, Tennessee Legislature, Uncategorized
Only a few days ago we wrote about the Norris-Kelsey Tax Increase, a likely Shelby County property tax increase caused by a Tennessee Senate committee’s rejection of $1 billion in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 23, 2015 | Leadership, Shelby County government
Shelby County Trustee David Lenoir should teach customer service classes for all of local government. Come to think of it, he should teach customer service to a lot...
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.