Author: Smart City Memphis
Getting Civil about Civil Service Reform
Posted by Smart City Memphis | May 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
We don’t know if changes to the civil service system will be in the proposed charter of the Metro Charter Commission. It’s too early to tell despite the kneejerk reactions of some union leaders who likely hadn’t even read the...
Read MoreThe Working Poor and a Glass Half-full
Posted by Smart City Memphis | May 3, 2010 | Uncategorized
We received this email from Robert Bain: All to often, we hear someone invoke the “glass half full versus half empty” statement as a way of presumedly (or is it presumptuously) suggesting who is an optimist versus pessimist or...
Read MorePaeans to the Real Memphis
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 30, 2010
Smithsonian Travel has written a peaen to Memphis that pays tribute not just to the city but to some of our extraordinary landmarks like Henry Turley. That follows by only a few months a lovefest in the New York Times about the...
Read MoreCity Branding: Case Study, Part 2
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 29, 2010
This is the second part of our post about our case study in city branding: Milestone 7: Preliminary Strategies As a result of the insights by the Smart City Consulting/Stone Mantel team and the input of the public, a recommended...
Read MoreCase Study in City Branding
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 28, 2010 | Uncategorized
Following the last two posts about city branding, we were asked about any work that we’ve done in this area. To respond, we begin today a two-part post about our work in Pensacola/Escambia County, Florida: Pensacola, a...
Read MoreMemphis’ Brand: Standing for Something
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 27, 2010
While we’re on the subject of city branding, we want to revisit a speech by Paul O’Connor, former executive director of World Business Chicago and someone who led the process to shape his city’s brand. In a speech...
Read MoreFinding the Right Brand
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 26, 2010
Branding a city is hard, and although so many cities do it poorly, that does little to discourage cities like ours from continuing to try to do it right. Since we can remember, Memphis has flirted with branding, but...
Read MoreLessons from Great Mayors
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 21, 2010
Last year, we wrote a series of posts about great mayors because Memphis has never had one. It seems like an apt time to revisit it to see how things are going in City Hall. Here’s the post: With A C Wharton now in the...
Read MoreIt’s Not about Telling Our Story Better: It’s About Having a Different Story to Tell
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 19, 2010 | Economic Development
If Memphis was an actor, it would be looking to be cast against type. We’re like the actor who has only played light comedy roles that takes on a casting call as a serial killer just to shake up his image and how the public sees...
Read MoreLatest Bill Day Cartoon
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 →
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About Smart City Memphis
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.