Spinosa’s Accountability Focus: Turning Around The Economy
Memphis City Councilman Philip Spinosa, raising questions about the accountability of Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE), could not...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 23, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Shelby County government
Memphis City Councilman Philip Spinosa, raising questions about the accountability of Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE), could not...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 18, 2018 | Uncategorized
The neo-Confederates in the Tennessee Legislature clinging to the myth of the Lost Cause have cut $250,000 in funding for the Memphis bicentennial as punishment for...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 16, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Livability, Parks and Greening, Planning and Urban Design
In an exciting development for Memphis, several hundred of its riverfront cobblestones are going on a road trip. They will be the stars of an...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 12, 2018 | City of Memphis Government, Neighborhoods, Planning and Urban Design
There are suspicions that games may be afoot at Memphis City Council to thwart the obvious logic and fairness of approving the Cooper-Young neighborhood as a...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 10, 2018 | Civil Rights, Leadership
So, now what? We’ve been waiting for years for this past week to come, and now it’s in the rear view mirror. So, the question before us is what we’re going to make of it:...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 6, 2018 | Civil Rights, Economic Development, Poverty, Taxation
One of our favorite aphorisms is “every system is perfectly designed to produce the results that it gets.” Memphis is just such a system, and that’s why it’s surprising...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 4, 2018 | Civil Rights, Economic Development
Few phrases are more overused today than “defining event,” but it’s never as accurate as when Boomers look back at the life and death of Dr. Martin...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 2, 2018 | Civil Rights
The meeting between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Memphis Invaders is a footnote in the history of the civil rights giant’s time in Memphis, but it says volumes about him. Dr. King sent word that he wanted the meeting...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 30, 2018 | Data Points, Economic Development
The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released their final 2017 metro area job numbers. It was a pretty good year for job growth in a lot of major metros. However, in the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 28, 2018 | Civil Rights, Uncategorized
As we approach the commemoration ceremonies for the 50th anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., there’s never been a better time to redouble our commitment to...
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.