Category: Livability

Jan Gehl: A Life Of Designing Cities For People And Vibrant Public Spaces

by Smart City Memphis | Jul 24, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Planning and Urban Design | 0

Thumbnail: Jan Gehl, influential architect of cities for people rather than cars and for vibrant public spaces reflects on 60 years of work, and his colleagues endorsed a world-class riverfront park for a world-class riverfront.

Memphis’ Path For Investing $106 Million In Affordable Housing

by Smart City Memphis | Jul 20, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Livability | 0

Thumbnail: Memphis lags significantly behind comparable cities in its investment in affordable housing. If it halved the $19.3 million increase in the police and fire budgets and used that half to fund bonds, it could invest $106 million to address the city’s serious affordable housing deficit.

Improving Riverside Drive And Joining A Movement

by Smart City Memphis | Jul 14, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Livability | 0

Thumbnail: Memphis can be a leader in a movement that downsizes or removes waterfront streets to improve quality of life. Downtown Commission’s Master Plan calls for a reevaluation and a possible road diet for Riverside Drive.

Levitt Shell Confronts The Present And Aims For The Future

by Smart City Memphis | May 28, 2020 | Arts and Culture, Livability | 0

Thumbnail: Levitt Shell weathers the brutal financial storm caused by Covid-19 and prepares for a city without concerts and festivals this year while looking ahead to better days.

Predators Create Mirage Of Home Ownership

by Smart City Memphis | Mar 16, 2020 | Livability, Poverty | 0

File this under the high cost of being poor. Just when you think low-income families have dealt...

The Myths of the Shelby County Wheel Tax

by Smart City Memphis | Jan 31, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Livability, Shelby County government | 0

In light of the proposal to increase the county wheel tax by $20 to create new funding for...

The Mandate For MATA

by Smart City Memphis | Jan 29, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Livability, Shelby County government | 0

In light of the proposal for a $20 increase in the...

Wheel Tax: Created For Areas Whose Commissioners Now Oppose It

by Smart City Memphis | Jan 27, 2020 | Livability, Neighborhoods, Poverty, Shelby County government | 1

It is hard to think of a case of amnesia...

Donald Shoup: Why Parking Reform Will Save The City

by Smart City Memphis | Oct 18, 2019 | Downtown Revitalization, Livability, Planning and Urban Design | 0

In light of the Downtown Memphis’ Commission’s review of downtown parking and ways to make it more effective and efficient, we are posting a commentary by retired UCLA...

Special Screening: Long-Term Impact of Core City Disinvestment

by Smart City Memphis | Sep 24, 2019 | Livability, Neighborhoods | 0

This Thursday, September 26, at 5:30 p.m., Neighborhood Preservation Inc. continues its outstanding documentary series examining core neighborhoods disinvestment. This screening spotlights the sixth episode in the nine-part...

Chairman Conrad Calls On TDOT To Live Up To Responsibilities

by Smart City Memphis | Sep 11, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability | 1

If the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s maintenance of state streets is an indication of that government’s opinion of Memphis, it is one of complete disdain. For at least four years, City of Memphis – led by...

Mayor Harris’ Fragile MATA Proposal Deserves Consideration

by Smart City Memphis | Sep 9, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Planning and Urban Design, Shelby County government, Transportation | 4

When we wrote last week that the pushback would be aggressive against Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ proposal to fund MATA with a $145 annual fee for owners of more than...

Latest Bill Day Cartoon

Let Them Eat Cake, A Cartoon by Award-Winning Bill Day

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 →

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About Smart City Memphis

This is Smart City Consulting's blog and its purpose is to connect the dots and provide perspective on events, issues, and policies shaping Memphis and its future. Smart City Memphis was named one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal wrote that "Smart City Memphis 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 solves 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 the blog's editor, Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.