Finally Getting To The Conversation That Matters
In light of the killing of Brandon Webber in Frayser, we reprise this post from November 9, 2015: For as long as we can remember, our community has been...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 26, 2019 | Civil Rights
In light of the killing of Brandon Webber in Frayser, we reprise this post from November 9, 2015: For as long as we can remember, our community has been...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 24, 2019 | Criminal Justice, Poverty
When 20-year-old Brandon Webber was killed by U.S. Marshals June 11, the emotional aftermath tapped into so many lingering concerns – the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 21, 2019 | Economic Development, Uncategorized
Renthop has analyzed metro occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to help answer the questions: where should recent graduates go to make the most money? The...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 19, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Neighborhoods, Shelby County government
By Joe Cortright The case for using tax increment financing for affordable housing in gentrifying neighborhoods The problem with gentrification is that rising property values may make it expensive or impossible for lower and...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 17, 2019 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability
There are a barrage of questions these days aimed at the Memphis River Parks Partnership related to the design of Tom Lee Park, but more and more, another set of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 14, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Parks and Greening
In light of the discussion about the future of Tom Lee Park, we are reposting a commentary from July 24, 2017, saluting Mayor Strickland...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 12, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Livability, Shelby County government
Watching the overheated reaction from some Memphis in May acolytes to a proposed design for Tom Lee Park, we are left with the feeling that we’ve seen this movie before. We saw it with...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 10, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation
Jimmie Covington’s blog post from last Thursday began with these paragraphs: “Shelby County had a better than usual growth in its property tax base this year, according to...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 6, 2019 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation
By Jimmie Covington Shelby County had a better than usual growth in its property tax base this year, according to assessed value figures reported by Property Assessor...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Jun 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
Roy C. Nixon, better known to his friends by his nickname, Skip, was the first Shelby County mayor and he too often – and unjustly – is treated as a footnote in the history of...
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.