Author: Smart City Memphis

We bet you never thought you’d hear us say this: Shelby County Commissioner Henri Brooks is right. Nonetheless, it is true, and in the current manufactured controversy about Kwanzaa, Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas is either...

O.K., you’ve heard from us once again about The Pyramid. Now it’s your turn.Questions of the week:What should Memphis do to put The Pyramid to its best use? What objective should city government have in mind as it considers...

Memphis’ biggest stocking – which has always promised more than it delivered – remains to be stuffed – The Pyramid.We’ve never been fans of the Bass Pro Shop proposal, a disdain made visceral with the prospects of a fish logo on...

‘Tis the season of transitions, and three deserve special mention — Andy Dolich, Judith Drescher and Carissa Hussong. All are about to step down from their jobs, but they share more than the coincidence of their...

There are public agencies buried so deep in local government that they would make Tony Soprano envious, and their unassuming names give no hint of their impact.Poster child for these agencies is the Metropolitan Planning...

New technologies are combining to change the way we influence our communities. In her book, Momentum, Allison Fine writes about these new technologies and how they are igniting social change in our connected age. Allison is a...

There’s the axiom in the public sector that the organizational chart shouldn’t be based on personalities. There’s also an axiom that the fundamental principles of local government shouldn’t be abandoned in pursuit of political...

While all institutions of higher education struggle with the problems of reaffirming their accreditation on a cyclical basis, the unique problems facing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) have been pernicious...

Now, here’s an interesting ranking for Memphis.It may surprise all those folks over on Beale Street, but Memphis is in the bottom 20 percent of the least dangerously drunk cities, according to Men’s Health.Leading the pack...

Mike Ritz is fast becoming the Oliver Wendell Holmes of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.Like the U.S. Supreme Court justice, Commissioner Ritz these days often delivers a decidedly minority opinion. Sometimes, even his...