Author: Smart City Memphis

Previously published as Memphis magazine’s City Journal column:The first stirrings of a green ethos in Memphis are taking place in the unlikeliest of places – Shelby County Government.It would have been unimaginable only a...

In following up a post about ArtsMemphis, Harvey asked if creativity can in fact be nurtured, which inspired our recent question of the week:Do you think that a city can do anything to encourage creativity? If it can, what...

The Jackson, Mississippi, mayor broke the code: Instant law enforcement consolidation.While long overdue – now in their fourth month – discussions here about merging law enforcement responsibilities of Memphis Police...

A few weeks ago, two reporters for Grist magazine, a leader in environmental journalism, were in Memphis as part of a tour of Old Man River from Dubuque to Memphis, and we got the chance to meet with them.It’s always interesting...

Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy has developed a reputation during his 13 months in office as someone who acts on his heartfelt belief in American liberalism. That’s why it’s so hard to fathom his sponsorship of Monday’s...

Cities inspire us in so many ways. For architect Teddy Cruz, the contrasts between the sister cities of San Diego and Tijuana have inspired award-winning work that explores border crossings, reuse and adaptation of materials and...

It’s probably just us, but it seems time for Memphis FBI Special Agent in Charge My Harrison to get back to Quantico for some in-service training. More and more, her comments at media conferences called in the wake of whomever...

Kudos to Fox 13 reporters Ernie Freeman and Jason Carter – not to mention the management that gave them the green light – for their three-part series, Memphis: In Black and White. It was thoughtful and...

It may sound counter-intuitive but in order to reduce the tax burden, Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton says we need a new tax. Recently, Mayor Wharton became the latest elected official to propose a “privilege tax,” AKA payroll...

In response to our last post about Arts Memphis and its stated goal of creating a vibrant city, Harvey weighed in with these comments:“Nurturing a creative mindset and community sounds like an excellent idea, but I wonder if...