Author: Smart City Memphis

Our hearts swelled when we saw the ad in this month’s edition of Travel + Leisure. It exulted: Vote Now! America’s Favorite Cities Survey. The ad promised that we should log in right now to vote for our “favorite cities for...

We welcome any contributions to this weekly suggestion box feature and hope you will feel free to send in your ideas for improving Memphis to tjones@smartcityconsulting.comIn the meantime, here’s our question for the...

Developer Jackie Welch, in an interview with The Commercial Appeal, said that the county-mandated moratorium has brought development outside Memphis to a standstill.Our response: good.That’s clearly not the reaction he’s hoping...

Contrary to news media reports, the future of former Tennessee Senator John Ford – convicted on a federal charge of bribery – does not now rest with U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Breen.Rather, Mr. Ford’s fate largely lies in...

Previously published in Memphis Magazine’s City Journal column:St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is home to the world’s smartest young researchers. They come here from around the world to work as postdoctoral fellows...

Why do great strategies fail? That’s the question Michael Raynor asks in his new book, The Strategy Paradox. Michael says the job of leaders is to embrace the inherent uncertainty of strategy and recognize that the future...

First, a reminder. We welcome all suggestions that you have for improving Memphis, particularly as it relates to its competitiveness, its revitalization, its design, its downtown, well, you get the picture: we welcome your ideas...

It’s time for Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton to hit the road.That’s precisely what some of his peers in other cities are already doing.That’s because these mayors are looking for new ways to recharge their batteries, to inspire...

While we continue to welcome any contributions to our weekly spotlight on strategies for improving Memphis, we throw out this question to spark some conversation:If you could be in charge of downtown Memphis for a year, what...

There’s so much that Chattanooga has done right to transform its once underused riverfront into a vibrant public place, and so many lessons that Memphis can learn from its sister Tennessee city. Lesson #1 – do something.We’re...