Ninety Years of Music, Memories and Memphis at the Overton Park Shell
Much of what makes Memphis unique are intangible – its rhythm, vibe, culture. Then, there are the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 31, 2026 | Arts and Culture, Parks and Greening | 0
Much of what makes Memphis unique are intangible – its rhythm, vibe, culture. Then, there are the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 27, 2026 | Parks and Greening, Planning and Urban Design, Trends and Issues | 0
From 2001 to 2007, the syndicated public radio program Smart City was required listening for...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Aug 19, 2026 | Arts and Culture, Parks and Greening | 4
There is no one who knows more about the trails at Overton Park’s Old Forest than noted Memphis...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 20, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Leadership, Livability, Neighborhoods, Parks and Greening, Planning and Urban Design, Transportation | 1
You may have seen Kelsey Huse on her bike. You may have seen her advocating in public meetings for...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 6, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 0
Overton Park, the grande dame of Memphis parks, is 125 years old this year, transcending a history...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jun 25, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 3
It seemed like a good day to go to Mud Island and check in on the BVO immersive experience...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Mar 2, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 0
Note: Following the publication of this post, I’ve received varying versions of what led to...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Dec 23, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Parks and Greening, Tourism | 0
After months of high-powered negotiations involving Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Nov 17, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 0
The following is my October 2025 City Journal column in Memphis magazine. You can subscribe to...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 30, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Federal Government, Memphis History, Parks and Greening | 0
Grit and grind began as a slogan that aptly defined the Memphis Grizzlies’ identity during the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 9, 2025 | Arts and Culture, City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 0
Memphian Carol Coletta, Bloomberg Public Innovation Fellow at Bloomberg Center for Public...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jul 21, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Parks and Greening, Transportation | 4
Riverside Drive soon is to be the street that it’s needed to be for decades. By mid-August, the...
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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.