It’s Not Just Schools
While we’re spotlighting some special comments by our readers, we don’t want to overlook the following which was posted by our fellow blogger fieldguidetomemphis in response to our post about the search for a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 27, 2008 | Uncategorized
While we’re spotlighting some special comments by our readers, we don’t want to overlook the following which was posted by our fellow blogger fieldguidetomemphis in response to our post about the search for a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 27, 2008 | Uncategorized
Sidney Shlenker’s daughter posted this comment to a blog post of ours from last summer, and we wanted to highlight it here:First, I would just like to thank all of you for your truly brilliant analysis of my fathers hard...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 27, 2008 | Uncategorized
Aaron always offers special insight into the issues of Memphis, and it’s particularly instructive since he’s one of those highly coveted young professionals who has moved to our city. We thought his comments to our...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 26, 2008 | Uncategorized
Memphis manages somehow to hold two countervailing attitudes. On one hand, a lack of self-worth leads to a tendency to accept any big idea that rides into town claiming to be the magic answer to turning things around. On the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
Seeing the world through new eyes can uncover a whole new set of possibilities. In his new books on London and New York, Fred Dust attempts to teach his readers how to look at the world with “eyes open” by showing them the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
We were standing in an anteroom in the Hart Senate Office Building some years back when Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy walked in.Instantly, there was a surge of energy in the room, and although the room was filled with...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 21, 2008 | Uncategorized
The 15th incarnation of the Memphis Poll came out a few days ago, and although it always seems to have something for everyone, it just left us worried.The percentage of the public satisfied with Memphis’ quality of life has...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 20, 2008 | Uncategorized
Interim Superintendent Dan Ward was right. It was just hard to hear him over the “don’t confuse me with the facts” approach of Bill O’Reilly. Mr. Ward said on Mr. O’Reilly’s cable network program that the Mitchell High School...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 18, 2008 | Uncategorized
And then there were three.Would the last person standing please run Memphis City Schools for us?If superintendent-wannabe Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton had written a script to move him toward the helm of the district, he...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
Why is it that we typically separate planning for highways, transit, and trains in the U.S.? Worse, why do we plan for transportation and land use as if they don’t relate to one another? Those are subjects we’ll explore this...
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.