Blues Blogging
As a show of support for the International Blues Challenge that we spotlighted last week, Chuck Porter of WEVL fame is posting updates here from the IBC, one of this city’s signature music events. Here’s the latest...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
As a show of support for the International Blues Challenge that we spotlighted last week, Chuck Porter of WEVL fame is posting updates here from the IBC, one of this city’s signature music events. Here’s the latest...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton has now taken the new stadium off the front burner, and in its place, he’s now put forth an idea equally vexing – another expansion for the Memphis Cook Convention Center or a new...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
As a show of support for the International Blues Challenge that we spotlighted last week, Chuck Porter of WEVL fame is posting updates here from the IBC, one of this city’s signature music events. Here’s the first,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 28, 2008 | Uncategorized
Sometimes, it seems like the board of commissioners for Memphis City Schools finds it hard to take a step in the right direction without first shooting themselves in the foot. That was certainly the case with its recent decision...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 27, 2008 | Uncategorized
If we’re not careful, aerotropolis will fall victim to its own hype.It’s hard to remember a concept that has had as much build up as quickly as the notion that Memphis can be the home of North America’s first true aerotropolis....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 25, 2008 | Uncategorized
To follow up yesterday’s post about the importance of keeping children in cities, here’s a report by CEOs for Cities, which commissioned the Institute of Design to “get beyond the obvious to help us understand...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 25, 2008 | Uncategorized
Protecting our water, our land, and our natural habitat is really about protecting us. It’s about protecting people. Dave Ulrich is one such protector. As head of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, it is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 24, 2008 | Uncategorized
“You can’t have a city without middle-class families and kids,” our colleague Carol Coletta said in a USA Today article about her CEOs for Cities’ study about what cities can do to retain families. “You can’t have a childless...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
It’s always interesting to watch new legislative bodies as they develop a collective personality that is as distinctive as the individuals that combine to create it.That’s taking place now at Memphis City Council, and while it’s...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jan 23, 2008 | Uncategorized
When you have one of the biggest law firms in Memphis (as Shelby County Government does), the answer to every problem – no matter how insignificant – is based on a belief that every solution is always found in yet another rule...
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.