Author: Smart City Memphis

It’s official. Memphis is weird.For those of us who decided to spend our lives here, that’s one of the things we like most about this place, but a recent report by Chicago-based CEOs For Cities (headed up by Memphian and founder...

It’s that special time of the year when we celebrate the past and commemorate important things in our lives. In that vein, it’s time to pause and observe the first anniversary of an important event in our community’s life –...

Cities have always been hotbeds of innovation. This week, our guests offer perspectives on innovation both from the past and the future.Steel Cities were once the very embodiment of innovation. Dr. Kenneth Thompson, associate...

Clearly, what Memphis needs is more gays and lesbians.At least that’s what we concluded from a recent report that put Memphis near the bottom of the nation’s largest 50 cities in a ranking of single sex couples and gay, lesbian...

It’s always a good day when our work leads to an article on page one of the New York Times, as it did Saturday, when it was reported that Atlanta was launching a new campaign to attract the “Young and Restless.”Basing its...

Memphis was a star of the Progressive Era a century ago, building a national reputation for parks, parkways and city beautiful programs that ushered in an era of economic growth.History does indeed repeat itself, but normally,...

Revisiting a post from earlier this spring:Everybody’s all for government acting more businesslike until it affects their special cause. This comes to mind when we listen to some of the arguments from grassroots leaders who...

Teach For America is a national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach in our nation’s public schools for two years. Earlier this year we talked with two Teach for America corps members, Donique...

There are times when Tennessee’s annexation laws seem as much a curse as a blessing. And because it’s hard to decide which category the proposed annexation of Southeast Shelby County falls into, it’s time to put it on hold for...

Many communities owe their existence to the routing first, of the railroad, later, of the highway, and then of the interstate. Transportation is fundamental to land values and the way communities grow.This week’s guests...