EDGE’s Chance To Send The Right Message
If EDGE approves a tax holiday for a Mississippi bank that wants to build a new Memphis office, it should simply close its doors and put an ATM out front. It now officially will...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 16, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government, Taxation
If EDGE approves a tax holiday for a Mississippi bank that wants to build a new Memphis office, it should simply close its doors and put an ATM out front. It now officially will...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 13, 2019 | Economic Development, Uncategorized
Note: When adjusted for cost of living, Memphis is #2 in annual salaries: the unadjusted salary of $70,000 becomes adjusted salary of $76,800. Only Birmingham is higher with an adjusted salary of $77,000 from an unadjusted one...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 11, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability
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...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 9, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Planning and Urban Design, Shelby County government, Transportation
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...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 5, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Transportation
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...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 3, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Livability
It’s the threshold of a new business day in Tokyo. A few hours after dawn, overcast, and the weather could go either way. Even in a city of 14 million where privacy is as...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 30, 2019 | Data Points
Number of locally-focused nonprofit organizations for selected metropolitan areas. The first column lists the number of nonprofits in each MSA and the second column is the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 28, 2019 | Data Points, Talent
We have written before about how we are often hypnotized by our own hyperbole. It’s tempting to just dismiss the overstatements with comments like “fake it until you make it,” but the harsh reality is that the risk is that it...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 26, 2019 | Economic Development, Education
For too many years, University of Memphis has been taken for granted, but in today’s context of regional population decline, sluggish jobs growth, and one of the lowest percentage...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 22, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Parks and Greening
The post below was published yesterday by the Brookings Institution – one of the nation’s leading think tanks – and written by Carol Coletta, acknowledged as one of the top 100 experts on cities and head of the...
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.