Have We Seen the Future?
John Branston’s Memphis Flyer column this week analyzed actual increases in attendance at the Zoo since the pandas’ arrival compared to estimates of what could be expected. Instead of the predicted 400,000 new...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 26, 2005 | Uncategorized
John Branston’s Memphis Flyer column this week analyzed actual increases in attendance at the Zoo since the pandas’ arrival compared to estimates of what could be expected. Instead of the predicted 400,000 new...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 26, 2005 | Uncategorized
Mary Cashiola got it just right in this week’s Flyer when she noted that being “overlooked” by chain stores and restaurants comes with its own virtues. “What we have is real,” she wrote. “It...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 26, 2005 | Uncategorized
Oregon was the only state in the nation where obesity did not increase, according to the study by Trust for America’s Health. Why? An AP story reports that Oregonians are more likely to engage in physical activity, like...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 25, 2005 | Uncategorized
New reports from the Trust for America’s Health grabbed headlines today. The headline in the Chicago Sun-Times read “South Will Rise Again — If It Can Get Off Couch.” It wasn’t a fun day to be from...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 24, 2005 | Uncategorized
So MATA plans to add hybrid buses to its fleet to save money on fuel and maintenance costs? Good move, Mr. Hudson. Now that you’ve taken the bold and progressive move of purchasing more environmentally-friendly buses,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 23, 2005 | Uncategorized
With the prospects looming in coming weeks of a return to rhetoric in which the “c” word is hurled, it’s worth remembering the facts of consolidation, whatever your point of view.Despite the pervasive belief that Memphis is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 22, 2005 | Uncategorized
Even Germantown can’t match its rhetoric about the importance of design when developers need land. A couple of locations within the city limits are now sites for the clear cutting of trees. And this in the city that thinks it...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 19, 2005 | Uncategorized
At a time when Memphis and Shelby County Governments are waiving more than $60 million in taxes every year to recruit new businesses, the Memphis and Shelby County Film Commission — which has the greatest return on...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 18, 2005 | Uncategorized
Elvis Week has come and gone, and the thousands of tourists have returned home, having left their cash in the local economy and left with memories for life. Sadly, the beggars that greeted them downtown when they arrived didn’t...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 17, 2005 | Uncategorized
Success has many fathers, it is said, so before the delivery room is filled with proud parents, we need to take a moment to recognize the team that put together the proposal that lured the world headquarters of International...
Read Moreby 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, columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. Smart City Memphis was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal wrote: “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 Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.