All PILOT-Granting Agencies Should Emulate EDGE’s Transparency
Thumbnail: There’s no argument that EDGE’s PILOT program deserves serious evaluation by Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 15, 2021 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
Thumbnail: There’s no argument that EDGE’s PILOT program deserves serious evaluation by Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 12, 2021 | Uncategorized
Memphis companies have been generous in their support for Shelby County Schools, and Ampro Industries Inc. moves to the head of the class with a donation of more than 6,3000 gallons of its hand sanitizer to Shelby County...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 11, 2021 | Economic Development
Thumbnail: This post is from economist and urbanist Joe Cortright’s City Observatory think tank and explores equitable economic development. Equity is a huge issue for the Memphis metro, because so many people are being...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
The following is Nike’s news release about its grants: Black Community Commitment Local...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 9, 2021 | Arts and Culture, Downtown Revitalization, Leadership, Livability, Talent
Thumbnail: Projects on the horizon – Tom Lee Park’s transformation, The Walk at Union construction, a new Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and the projects of the Downtown Memphis Commission – position the city for a burst of momentum unseen in decades. Carl Person is at the center of much of it, and he’s the subject of today’s blog post.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 4, 2021 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Taxation, Tourism
Thumbnail: Beale Street Landing, when the river cruise industry is not hobbled by COVID-19,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Thumbnail: Park roads are being closed in cities across America. Peter Harnik hopes they stay that way and that includes Riverside Drive as he wrote in an article in the monthly magazine of National Recreation and Park Association. Mr. Harnik is co-founder of City Parks Alliance, co-founder of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, founder of the Center for Park Excellence at the Trust for Public Land, author of Urban Green and Inside City Parks, and creator of ParkScore for rating park systems across America. He has also worked in Memphis, advising Shelby Farms Park in its earliest days and writing a report on the Memphis park system. As I wrote in a post interviewing him in 2016, if you are looking to talk to the smartest person about city parks in the U.S., he is that person.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 27, 2021 | Uncategorized
Posted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 25, 2021 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Neighborhoods
Thumbnail: Memphis Food Waste Project has set an audacious goal for the next years but with an active collaboration, there is hope that it will contribute to reducing Memphis’ carbon footprint while reducing food waste in a city where three out of four people live in food desserts.
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Feb 22, 2021 | Tennessee Legislature
Thumbnail: Tennessee Senator Brian Kelsey mixes his elected office with his right wing employer’s agenda in Nashville. Once again, he’s pitching a constitutional amendment as a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.
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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.