Memphis’ Airport Future Taking Flight
There’s nothing more fundamental for consumers than to express their opinions to a business from which we are buying a product. But we’ve learned that airline and airport...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 27, 2012 | Economic Development, Transportation
There’s nothing more fundamental for consumers than to express their opinions to a business from which we are buying a product. But we’ve learned that airline and airport...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 25, 2012 | Shelby County government
Our friend, blogger Steve Ross, also a candidate for Shelby County Board of Commissioners, continues his public service reporting on the troubling issues at the Shelby County Election Commission. His investigation has...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
There have been 60 mass shootings in the United States since the January 8, 2011, massacre in Tucson, Arizona. Below are three from recent weeks. Click here for the entire list since 2005. – Chicago, IL: Four youngsters...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 20, 2012 | Shelby County government
Maybe The Commercial Appeal should keep this week’s headline handy so it can be cut and pasted for each election cycle: Shelby County election officials say they’ve corrected voting problems. Of course, it’s rarely the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 18, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Politics and Government
It’s a favorite refrain of voters outside Memphis: If only Memphis would quit electing incompetent elected officials, we would be willing to love the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 16, 2012 | Education, Shelby County government
U.S. District Court Judge Samuel (Hardy) Mays said that there is no irreparable harm to Shelby County in allowing the municipal school referendums to be held August 2. He must not...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 13, 2012 | Arts and Culture, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability, Neighborhoods, Parks and Greening, Planning and Urban Design, Politics and Government, Talent, Transportation, Trends and Issues
Five years or so ago, we were talking here about what a smart city looks like, and we wrote down statements that we thought described one. After compiling our list, we...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 12, 2012 | Economic Development, Education, Transportation
Memphis’ economy showed signs of new life last year but whether it is sustainable depends in large measure on the presence of talented workers easily connected to national and global economies. Two troubling factors throw a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 9, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Planning and Urban Design, Transportation
A major obstacle to a successful future of Memphis is our tendency toward incrementalism. The problem is that at a time when we need to leap ahead of other cities, we are running in...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 6, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Taxation
We’ve been writing since December, 2010, about voluntary PILOT payments by nonprofit organizations to city governments. We’re reposting our most recent commentary about these payments in light of Memphis City...
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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.