Author: Smart City Memphis

‘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...

We know we are probably just being curmudgeonly, but it’s just hard to get excited about our alma mater’s upcoming date in the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.After all, it’s a battle between our #123 Tigers and the favored...

There are better ways to run urban school districts than by elected school boards.That’s an opinion that’s gaining traction in many large U.S. cities and given new energy by the success of buoyant, youthful Washington, D.C.,...

This week’s classic Smart City is a repeat of a show that first aired on April 26, 2003.Brussels-based consultant Robert Palmer works on city change and cultural planning in more than 20 countries. He’s learned what...