Refusing To Shrink From Our Problems
We’ve known some of the core structural issues facing Memphis for some time, but few steps have been taken to address them in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 15, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Planning and Urban Design
We’ve known some of the core structural issues facing Memphis for some time, but few steps have been taken to address them in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 13, 2015 | Criminal Justice
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in rare public comments by a justice to the U.S. Congress, sounded the alarm about the crisis in the American criminal justice system. It’s an alarm we should be hearing loudly here,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 11, 2015 | Poverty, Trends and Issues
Major Metrics for Memphis MSA Poverty Rate – Total Population 29.6% — African American 33.3% — Hispanic 8.7% — White Poverty Rate – Population under 18 41.6% — African American 44.9% — Hispanic...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 8, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability, Politics and Government, Tennessee Legislature
If you don’t read the comments from readers to our blog posts, you might just be missing the best part. The following are some recent comments that seemed worthy of being posted here: Deciding What Memphis Should Be in Its...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 6, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Talent
Memphis, incorporated as a city in 1826, is about 10 years away from beginning its third century. Even sooner, in May 2019, Memphis will observe the 200th anniversary of its founding by land speculators John Overton, James...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 4, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Poverty
There becomes a time when the powerless rise up to demand power over decisions about their lives and when the voiceless speak with a volume that demands attention to the problems that confront them each day. For us, that is the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 4, 2015 | Poverty, Trends and Issues
While data alone do not tell or illuminate the whole story, here are the statistical comparisons between Baltimore and Memphis: CITY DATA Baltimore Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 1, 2015 | Leadership, Regionalism, Shelby County government
We reprise this post from April 2, 2012, in light of an email we received that quoted state legislators as saying that Memphis is the biggest drag on Tennessee and that...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 29, 2015 | Tennessee Legislature
Really, what’s left to say about the Tennessee Legislature? There’s mainly the photo above. With yet another guns in parks law, it proves beyond a doubt that...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 27, 2015 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice, Taxation
The Commercial Appeal’s week-long series about the City of Memphis’ financial problems riveted attention as only a daily newspaper can do. While it reminded us about...
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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.