Sucking The Life Out Of Cities
Regionalism is all the rage. The Obama Administration is betting big on regional planning as a way to make smarter decisions on transportation, climate, the economy—all those things that don’t respect political boundaries. The Administration plans to reward communities that work together across jurisdictions toward common goals and, by implication, punish those that do not.Who can argue with that? I certainly can’t.But as I sit here in a brand name suburban motel room situated on a highway that could be anywhere, all my doubts about the wisdom of regionalism resurface. I can walk to the Shell station for some Fig Newtons, and I see a Checkers across the street,

Thawing Out The Logic About Tax Freezes
At the risk of being burned at the stake for heresy, we just have to say it: we don’t care if warehouses are moving from Memphis to Mississippi.And while we’re at it, let’s be honest about one more thing: tax freezes are more about land development than economic development.

This Week On Smart City: Places That Define Cities
This week's Smart City features Katherine Gustafson, award-winning landscape architect and designer of Chicago's Lurie Garden. We'll talk to Katherine about creating places of serenity, in a bustling city.Dr. Nancy Zimpher is the Chancellor of the State

Getting The Cobwebs Out Of The City Website
There’s not much that can be done to the city and county websites that would do any damage. They are the digital equivalents of a three car pile-up on the interstate. Well, in the county’s case, it’s more like a five car pile-up.If a public website is the on-line representation of a governm

Inside Baseball Strikes Out In County Government
Here’s the real problem with the appointment of the new Shelby County Mayor.It’s not the alliance between a couple of Republican commissioners to usher in the era of the Joe Ford Administration. It’s not the p