In Memphis Future: A Nonprofit, All-Digital News Outlet?
A new media outlet for Memphis moved dramatically out of the due diligence process and assertively into the implementation phase with the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
A new media outlet for Memphis moved dramatically out of the due diligence process and assertively into the implementation phase with the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 17, 2018 | Uncategorized
There are tremors shaking part of Memphis but they’re not coming from the New Madrid Fault. Rather, they originate at 495 Union where The Commercial Appeal, at least for now, is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 16, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Shelby County government
Graceland officials say that their new proposed 6,000-seat arena will not pull events and concerts away from FedExForum, but that only hints at the biggest question...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 14, 2018 | Economic Development, Talent
OK, before we start, we acknowledge that correlation is not causation. However, it is striking that the 15-year lethargy of the Memphis...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 10, 2018 | Data Points, Economic Development
We’ve written often lately about our concern for the flagging Memphis regional economy. Brookings Institution warns that “underneath the (economy’s) headline numbers,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 7, 2018 | Economic Development, Taxation
No one in this community has written more about the need for an economic reboot in the past 13 years than we have. We have written numerous posts about the region’s troubling...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 4, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation
City of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell recently called for a reduction in their government’s respective tax rates to prevent a windfall from...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | May 2, 2018 | Economic Development, Leadership, Uncategorized
The ultimate test for the growing sense of urgency about the 15-year lethargy of the Memphis economy is whether it can now be translated into the kinds of disruptive...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 27, 2018 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Planning and Urban Design
In our last blog post, Transforming The Medical District Into A “Real” Place and Lifestyle, we chronicled the momentum under way in transforming an area known largely for...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 25, 2018 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Neighborhoods, Planning and Urban Design
There has not been a project in recent history that has produced more momentum in a shorter period of time than the Memphis Medical District Collaborative. For us,...
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.