Category: Transportation

The Myth of Pedestrian Infrastructure In A World of Cars

by Smart City Memphis | Sep 18, 2020 | City of Memphis Government, Planning and Urban Design, Transportation, Uncategorized | 0

Thumbnail: The always insightful Joe Cortright of the City Observatory think tank pointed out that transportation planners label projects as “pedestrian-friendly” when they are really being designed for cars. The following article by him was published at City Observatory earlier this year.

Report: Building More Roads Results In More Congestion

by Smart City Memphis | Mar 6, 2020 | Transportation | 0

From City Observatory: You...

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...

Mayor Harris’ Bold MATA Proposal

by Smart City Memphis | Sep 5, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Transportation | 6

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ proposal to provide almost $10 million for Memphis Area Transit Authority is an important step toward a better future that recognizes...

Turning MATA Support Into MATA Money

by Smart City Memphis | May 6, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Transportation | 3

There is unprecedented broad support for the proposition that it is vital for Memphis to have higher quality public transit. The challenge is...

Looking Ahead: Emily Neff, Athena Palmer, and Suzanne Carlson

by Smart City Memphis | Jan 23, 2019 | Education, Leadership, Transportation | 0

We’ve been posting Memphians’ resolutions, predictions, and commentaries about the new year since 2019 was ushered in. Emily Neff, Executive Director, Memphis Brooks Museum...

Study: Traffic Congestion No Drag On Economies And Jobs Growth

by Smart City Memphis | Nov 15, 2018 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Transportation, Uncategorized | 1

Reposted from CNU’s Public Square, https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2018/06/06/congestion-can-be-good-study-reports: By Robert Steuteville Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame baseball player and manager and renowned wordsmith,...

I-269 Completion No Reason To Celebrate In Memphis

by Smart City Memphis | Oct 17, 2018 | Economic Development, Planning and Urban Design, Transportation | 11

DeSoto County’s last segment of I-269 opens in nine days and the predictions are now fulfilled: it is a more than $1 billion gift for sprawl and developers that does nothing so much for Memphis except hardening economic...

The Lessons Of The Bird Electric Scooters

by Smart City Memphis | Jun 19, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Transportation | 4

If we had any skepticism about the entry of the Bird motorized scooters into Memphis, it was destroyed in our walk down Main Street yesterday to lunch. There,...

Lamar Avenue Funding Is A “Game-changing Improvement”

by Smart City Memphis | Jun 13, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Transportation | 4

Years ago, we blogged about the deteriorating condition of Lamar Avenue, the negative impact it had on our economy, and the risks that Memphis was about to lose existing...

I-269: Driving to Greater Economic Segregation

by Smart City Memphis | Dec 20, 2017 | Economic Development, Regionalism, Transportation | 3

“Sprawl is a rot that tends to consume the old city. We can hope that Memphis is just 20 years behind other cities, as people across the country...

No Reason for Memphis To Celebrate I-269 Completion

by Smart City Memphis | Dec 18, 2017 | Economic Development, Shelby County government, Transportation | 29

Looking back, there’s no real argument that suburban sprawl was not a direct hit on the city at its center, draining Memphis of its people and its...

Latest Bill Day Cartoon

The Sower, 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 →

Subscribe to Posts via Email

You can get Smart City Memphis posts right in your e-mail box. Just sign up below to begin receiving them.

Search Posts

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.