Memphis Metro Is #9 In Increase Of Covid-19 Cases – Rate Mirrors Houston
Thumbnail: Covid-19 is rebounding with a vengeance in the Sun Belt, and Memphis is one of the hot...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 7, 2020 | Uncategorized
Thumbnail: Covid-19 is rebounding with a vengeance in the Sun Belt, and Memphis is one of the hot...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 6, 2020 | Civil Rights, Trends and Issues
Thumbnail: Racism can rear its head in the most mundane of situations for African Americans. Even a Memphis family in Destin is not immune from racist encounters. My memories of the Jim Crow South indicate how deeply engrained racism is in our culture.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 3, 2020 | Arts and Culture, City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening
Thumbnail: The search committee is recommending to city officials that The Metal Museum becomes the next tenant of Rust Hall in Overton Park now that the Memphis College of Art has closed down. Armed with a promise to create a national museum and a pledge of $12 million from an out-of-town donor, the Metal Museum becomes the perfect occupant for the architecturally significant building.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jul 1, 2020 | Data Points, Economic Development
Thumbnail: University of Memphis’ Professor Emeritus in Economics David Ciscel follows up his previous blog post about Covid-19’s impact on our economy. The May jobs and employment numbers show that idea by leadership that it would all fade in May is discredited. The next two months will be even more important.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 26, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice
Thumbnail: Prominent consultant on city finances and justice David Eichenthal’s New York Daily News op-ed is especially relevant to Memphis. He says police and corrections have become sacred cows, with elected officials calling for more police as a show of their commitment to crime reduction. He cites that Memphis spends 38% of its budget on police and now’s the time to consider other options to fight crime.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 25, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Criminal Justice
Thumbnail: After 48 years of police directors chosen from within the Memphis Police Department culture, Memphis has the opportunity to bring in new perspectives and new ideas with a new hire who is prepared to answer the key question: Does Memphis need more police or better police?
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 22, 2020 | Economic Development, Leadership, Trends and Issues
In the midst of an outpouring of a majority of people calling for change, we can make it happen with our choices. After all, we are who we are today because of choices we made.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 19, 2020 | Data Points, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development
Thumbnail: Young adults continue to fuel growth within three miles of U.S. central business districts, including Memphis metro, but we lag behind most cities rate of growth.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 17, 2020 | Economic Development
Thumbnail: Statistics paint a devastating picture of COVID-19’s impact on the the local economy, and the workers harmed most were the most vulnerable.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 15, 2020 | Uncategorized
by Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
Since 2005, this has been Smart City Consulting’s blog with the aim of connecting the dots and providing perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. Editor and primary author is Tom Jones, City Journal columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. He has written articles for MLK50, The Commercial Appeal, and USA Today. The blog was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal said it “provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis’ past, present, and future you’ll find anywhere,” and the Memphis Flyer said: “This incredibly well-written blog sets out to solve the city’s ills – from the mayor to MATA – with out-of-the-box thinking, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ideas.” If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.