New Realities Taxing Towns’ Worldview
Municipal school districts are the educational equivalent of I-269, and that’s why the Shelby County Board of Commissioners is right to be deeply concerned about them. Both...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 20, 2012 | Education, Shelby County government, Taxation
Municipal school districts are the educational equivalent of I-269, and that’s why the Shelby County Board of Commissioners is right to be deeply concerned about them. Both...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 16, 2012 | Economic Development
We’re hearing from news reporters that the mayors praised the work of the people charged with managing the airport at today’s Airport Authority meeting. In response to requests: “There has been a pattern of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 15, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Education, Shelby County government
Some Memphis officials can be forgiven for feeling like the guy at the bar whose drunk friend tries to defend him, throws a roundhouse punch, and knocks him...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 13, 2012 | Politics and Government, Tennessee Legislature
Well, now what? The voter ID gambit didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to in Shelby County with Democrats winning reelection to countywide offices. One thing’s for...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 10, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation
Memphis City Council rarely gets any respect, but it has produced the most significant public policy improvement in decades. It’s done it by shifting regional services...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 8, 2012 | Education
Pre-K Matters It’s a simple statement of fact, backed by the findings by hundreds of researchers over many years and the experiences of tens of thousands of educators. Pre-K Matters. They are two words that should be at the top...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 6, 2012 | Civil Rights, Education
It seemed somehow fitting that the landslide school referenda in Shelby County towns and Chick-fil-A appreciation day happened in a 24-hour news cycle. They both...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 2, 2012 | Downtown Revitalization, Livability, Planning and Urban Design
This is the latest installment of our occasional feature, Urban Indifference, which focuses on problems that are pock marks on our urban environment. There are a number of cities across the country that are fighting the big...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 31, 2012 | Education, Shelby County government
It’s been a tough few days for the First Amendment. Between our university and our county government, it’s hard to figure out which is the most ham-handed and well, in the...
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...
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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 →
Smart City Memphis has been called the oldest, continuously operating in its original form, independent blog in the U.S. Its aim since 2005 has been to connect the dots and provide perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. 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 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.