Memphis Metropolis

The Griggs Business College building,  at the corner of Vance Avenue and Danny Thomas Boulevard, isn't as well known as other historic structures. But that's about to change. Emerging real estate developer Stephanie Love and partners literally saved the Griggs Building from the wrecking ball (it was set to be torn down for a gas station) and now the former Black-owned college will be redevelo...

In this program, Memphis Metropolis welcomes Tonya Meeks, new district coordinator for Urban Land Institute (ULI) in Memphis. ULI is an international organization made up of real estate and land use professionals with a shared vision to shape the built environment.  Tonya brings years of work in nonprofit consulting to her new role, as well as experience in the real estate industry. Emily and...

Planning for a whole city's future development is critically important but the process can seem abstract to many participants. That's where small area plans come into play. In this program, Memphis Metropolis is joined by Susannah Barton, administrator of comprehensive planning at the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development (DPD). DPD recently completed small area plans arou...

If you've driven around the Memphis Medical District recently, you've probably noticed new housing development projects, spiffed up storefronts, and improvements to the neighborhoods streets and public spaces. Plus there's lots more going on behind the scenes. Learn about it in our interview with Alex Feldman of U3 Advisors and Rory Thomas from the Medical District Collaborative, as they reflect o...

Several transformative development projects are coming to the Frayser neighborhood, including a brand new Ed Rice Community Center. In this program, Memphis Metropolis speaks with Todd Walker, architect and principal at Archimania, and Shelly Rice from the Frayser Exchange Club. Todd, Shelly, and Emily talk about why Ed Rice is so important to the Frayser community, and how the new community cente...

Many elders want to stay in their homes as they age, but poor housing conditions and lack of accessibility can be significant barriers. Christin Reeder, senior research and evaluation manager for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis, visits the program to discuss these challenges and how Habitat’s Aging in Place home repair program has helped many Memphis seniors stay in their homes and improve...

Ashley Cash and Mary Claire Borys from the City of Memphis Divison of Housing and Community Development visit Memphis Metropolis to discuss the new Liberty Park community and youth sports complex being built on the former site of the MidSouth Fairgrounds. Ashley, Mary Claire, and Emily discuss the land's interesting history - as a race track, casino, municipal swimming pool, among many other uses...

Architect Jacob Davis from Archimania visits Memphis Metropolis to explain the firm's innovative efforts to reimagine Cooper Street as a "carbon neutral corridor" by renovating its aging building stock in a sustainable and connected manner, beginning with their own headquarters. Later in the program, commentator Charlie Santo comes by to discuss other strategies - from street trees to micro-transi...

What neighborhood or zip code families live in can have huge implications for how well they live, in terms of health and longevity, income, transportation, and access to economic opportunities. This week Memphis Metropolis welcomes Jamilca Burke, chief strategy and impact officer for Seeding Success. Seeding Success is helping facilitate a multi-sector initiative called Place Matters that aims to...

Land Installment Contracts (LICs) are a dangerous rent-to-own scheme that can leave potential homebuyers in the lurch instead of leading to homeownership. Although not a new kind of agreement, LICs have proliferated in Memphis in the wake of the foreclosure crisis, after which many single-family homes were purchased by large out-of-town investors. This week, Dr. Andrew Guthrie from the University...

MLk50 reporter Jacob Steimer visits Memphis Metropolis for a discussion of his recent reporting about dramatic increases in local rents and how families are being impacted. Later in the show, regular commentator Austin Harris provides some historical context to how the local rental market has changed over the past 15 years and talks with Emily about potential policy changes that could keep rents i...

Justin Merrick from Center for Transforming Communities (CTC) visits Memphis Metropolis to talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected community engagement and organizing.

This week we take a deep dive into the qualities that make neighborhood commercial districts attractive, appealing, and livable - and how proposed local zoning changes could over time eliminate undesirable land uses and contribute to the revitalization of those places. Returning to the show for this discussion, Director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development. 

This week, Dennis Ostrow from the volunteer-built and -maintained V & E Greenline visits to discuss the origins of the city's first green line, its enhancements over the years, and its importance to the VECA neighborhood. Later in the show, commentator Cole Bradley and host Emily Trenholm talk about the many community benefits to green lines and greenways, in the areas of transportation, healt...

With extreme weather events like Hurricane Ida happening so frequently, communities around the U.S. are considering their own preparedness. This week, Memphis Metropolis sat down with Jared Darby from the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability and Resilience. After the severe local flooding in 2011, Shelby County received federal grant funding to craft a resilience plan and just as imp...

Daron Joffee, also known as Farmer D, visits Memphis Metropolis to discuss how incorporating agricultural uses such as farms, gardens, and farmers markets into "agrihoods" (agriculture-based neighborhoods) can promote land conservation and the farming sector while also benefiting residents through a greater sense of community. We were also joined by Marlon Foster, executive director of Knowledgequ...

When LGBTQ+ youth become homeless or face housing challenges, the ripple effects on health, employment, and safety can be profound. This week, Stephanie Bell visits Memphis Metropolis to discuss how Out Memphis is addressing the issue on many fronts through its Metamorphosis Project, a new resource and housing support center. Later in the show, regular commentator Cole Bradley stops by to talk abo...

This week, Mr. Muhammad from Juice Orange Mound and Rhodes College student Mary Elizabeth Whitmire visit Memphis Metropolis to discuss the Mound Up Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. Through a resident-led planning process - supported by Rhodes students - the Orange Mound community is identifying its own priorities and projects as the neighborhood and surrounding areas are experiencing rapid change...

This week, Bradyn Carson from the Memphis Office of Comprehensive Planning and Meghan Medford from Summer Avenue Merchants Association visit Memphis Metropolis to talk about a so-called Complete Streets study for Summer. Through the planning process, stakeholders including business owners, residents, and nonprofits will identify needs, priorities, and recommendations to make the streets safe for a...

Memphis Metropolis returns after a break! This week, Lauren Bermudez of Downtown Memphis Commission visits to talk about the Groove On-Demand Shuttle, an on-call van service connecting downtown and the medical district with neighborhoods in North and South Memphis. Groove is being piloted by a partnership between DMC, the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, and Memphis Area Transit Authority,...

For the second show in our Endangered Structures series, Memphis Metropolis sits down with Angela Barksdale and Roy Barnes of the Coliseum Coalition to discuss why the Coliseum is so important to Memphis and particularly, the Orange Mound neighborhood; how the Coalition is working to support its redevelopment; and how the building can enhance and support the Liberty Park development at the Fairgro...

Anton Mack from Explore Bike Share pays a visit to Memphis Metropolis to discuss the organization's new fleet of electric bikes, how their program and ridership shifted during the pandemic, and their long-range plans to integrate more seamlessly into local transit and overall transportation systems.  Later in the program, commentator Charlie Santo joins Emily to define and discuss micro-mobil...

Community land trusts are a cooperative form of land ownership that keeps property affordable in perpetuity. Most commonly used to preserve housing affordability in a neighborhood where prices are appreciating (and threatening residents with displacement), CLTs can also be used for commercial, industrial, or agricultural purposes. This week, Magaly Cruz and Joni Laney visit Memphis Metropolis to t...

In this week's show, Josh First from the VECA neighborhood talks about the historic structure on Vollintine Avenue that was built in the 1950s by the Baron Hirsch synagogue along with an adjoining residential neighborhood - Vollintine Hills - that housed many of its members. The enormous structure, currently occupied by Gethsemane Gardens church, recently went on the market, and its future is unce...

This week, the city's Parks and Neighborhoods director Nick Walker visits Memphis Metropolis to talk about a new master plan for parks, the first that has been produced since 1999.