What Happened to the Promise of the Joint Economic and Community Development Board?
Compared to the aspirations when it was created, the Shelby County Joint Economic and Community...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 15, 2026 | Economic Development, Regionalism, Shelby County government | 0
Compared to the aspirations when it was created, the Shelby County Joint Economic and Community...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 12, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Leadership, Livability, Planning and Urban Design | 2
Memphis has a streak of gullibility that springs up from time to time from a lack of self-worth....
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Sep 21, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Planning and Urban Design | 0
Note: This is the first of two posts. This one recaps planner and urban designer Jeff Speck’s...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Sep 17, 2026 | Economic Development, Poverty, Talent | 0
By Sherika Trott Bailey Her energy is just so chill, she wanna live delightfully. Tom Jones...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Sep 14, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation | 0
A favorite economist and urban thinker here is Joe Cortright whose wisdom is regularly posted to...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 13, 2026 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability, Media, Planning and Urban Design | 5
Map: Just a hint of downtown attractions/assets/islands. ** Toby Sells, Memphis Flyer reporter,...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 5, 2026 | Economic Development, Tourism, Travel | 0
BVO welcomes 10,000 visitors in first three months, proving Memphis can build its own destinations...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 27, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Tourism, Uncategorized | 0
Mud Island Park has been called many things, but most of all, it should be called a cautionary...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 16, 2026 | Economic Development, Livability, Population Loss, Regionalism | 0
Population is not a vanity metric. It is a scorecard. When people move to a city, it is an act of...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 22, 2026 | Economic Development, Leadership, Planning and Urban Design, Politics and Government, Population Loss, Poverty | 2
Memphis needs a story. It’s a different kind of story. Not one from history. Not one about a...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 8, 2026 | Economic Development, Talent | 3
The Memphis region is the victim of a languishing economy that is the logical result of a lack of...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 4, 2026 | Economic Development | 2
My last post about Memphis metro’s economic vitality being ranked #205 of 206 metros generated a...
Read More
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 →
Smart City Memphis has been called the oldest, continuously operating in its original form, independent blog in the U.S. Its aim since 2005 has been to connect the dots and provide perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. 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 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.