Memphis Metropolis

Many of Memphis's older neighborhoods - such as Cooper Young and South Memphis - were laid out with lots that are considerably narrower than what would be allowed today. Managing the redevelopment of those properties in a way that responds to real estate market pressures and is, at the same time, compatible with a neighborhood's look and feel, has presented challenges to both local government and...

This week, Memphis Metropolis gets deep into the weeds to understand the causes of blight and how community developers are using innovative tools to eradicate it, one property at a time. First, Leslie Smith, executive director of Blight Authority of Memphis, explains what a land bank authority can do and how BAM's creation brought some new tools to the table in the city's efforts to fight blight....

This week,  Felicia Harris of the city's Division of Housing and Community Development and Jimmie Tucker of Self Tucker Architects visit Memphis Metropolis to talk about the upcoming revitalization of Historic Melrose School. Deeply informed by years of community advocacy for the building, the plan for Melrose calls for a new branch library, a genealogy room, affordable senior apartments, and...

What happens when an urban congregation moves or closes, leaving a neighborhood with a large empty building? Conner Walker from Commercial Advisors and Dane Forlines with The Heights CDC visit Memphis Metropolis to talk about the redevelopment challenges presented by former church buildings, local success stories, and how congregations and neighborhoods can proactively encourage adaptive reuse, so...

Nick Oyler, bikeway and pedestrian program manager for the City of Memphis, makes a return visit to Memphis Metropolis to talk about pedestrian safety. This past week, Smart Growth America issued its Dangerous by Design 2021 study, which found that pedestrian deaths due to traffic accidents continue to increase nationally. Moreover, the study found that Memphis was the third most dangerous city fo...

The Edge district is known for its eclectic style, great old buildings, public art, and an unconventional street grid.  The neighborhood is home to restaurants, recording studios, artist and makers spaces, art galleries, a craft brewery, and more recently, corporate offices and residential units. This week, Ben Schulman, director of real estate for Memphis Medical District Collaborative, stop...

Kathy Temple Yancey visits Memphis Metropolis to talk about Douglass, one of the city's most historic African American neighborhoods. Douglass is home to many important community institutions, including Douglass Park (longtime home of the annual Juneteenth festival) and Douglass HIgh, which was closed and demolished in the wake of school desegregation but has since been rebuilt as a state-of-the-a...

Amber Lombardo, recently appointed executive director of the Memphis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, visits Memphis Metropolis to discuss AIA's mission, programs, and priorities, including the creation of a statewide tax credit for historic preservation. Later in the show, regular commentator Holly Jansen Fulkerson from Memphis Heritage elaborates on the need for additional preser...

Last fall, The City of Memphis and Innovate Memphis published The State of Memphis Housing: Rising to Respond to Crisis to call attention to affordable housing challenges facing our community and foster collaborations to craft and implement solutions. In this episode, Mairi Albertson from the Division of Housing and Community Development and Austin Harrison with Innovate Memphis visit Memphis Metr...

This week, Andy Nix and Megan Klein from My City Rides discuss how the nonprofit is using affordable scooter ownership to help Memphians secure reliable transportation to work. Also: MCR's efforts to connect its "flyers" to food delivery opportunities during the pandemic and its upcoming move to a new campus on Summer Avenue. Later in the program, regular commentator Cole Bradley, editor of High G...

This week, Memphis Metropolis takes a deep dive into Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and in particular, a proposal to use the tool for the revitalization of South Memphis. Our guests are Reginald Milton, Shelby County Commissioner and executive director of South Memphis Alliance, and Andy Kitsinger, principal of Development Studio. The proposed TIF district is being spearheaded by the Soulsville USA...

In our first field interview, Memphis Metropolis visits Seth Harkins of the Alcy Ball Development Corporation to learn about Alcy Ball, a South Memphis neighborhood northwest of the airport with a long history of African American homeownership and a strong sense of community. ABDC's most recent project is the Rogers Store, a long-time corner store that has been transformed into a community gatheri...

Retail expert Shawn Massey, principal of TSCG, visits Memphis Metropolis to discuss why it is so difficult to attract grocery stores to a low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. From Binghampton to South City,  community partners have come together in various efforts to bring food retailers to underserved areas.  For projects to be successful, funding incentives are often needed, and nei...

John Zeanah, director of the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, visits Memphis Metropolis to reflect on the year since the city's first comprehensive plan in decades was adopted, and to solicit citizen input on some proposed 3.0 updates. Emily and John also discuss the launch of the Develop901 web site, which offers developers and other stakeholders easier access to in...

Overton Park Conservancy executive director Tina Sullivan discusses OPC's master planning process, which is currently focused on the east side of the park.  Key issues the plan is addressing include creating a vision for the park's expansion into the 13-acre tract at the park’s southeast corner currently known as the General Services, as well as taking a fresh look at the Bike Gate plaza and...

Britney Thornton from Juice Orange Mound joins Memphis Metropolis to discuss the organization's origins and its recent growth, including the build out of its Street Assembly and the creation of a new program focused on entrepreneurs that are single mothers. With redevelopment occurring or planned Orange Mound's borders, The Keep Your Land billboard campaign encourages residents to maintain ownersh...

In the first of a series of Neighborhood Spotlights, Jared Myers from the The Heights CDC visits Memphis Metropolis to talk all about The Heights neighborhood - the places and the people. From Randolph Library to neighborhood schools to international food restaurants and market, The Heights  is rich in assets and has a strong sense of community. Jared and Emily discuss two current CDC-led ini...

Webb Brewer and Constance Brown from Neighborhood Preservation, Inc. discuss an innovative Memphis and Shelby  County program that helps both tenants and landlords avoid evictions caused by COVID. Later in the show, commentator Charlie Santo from University of Memphis returns to discuss some of the historical causes and impacts of evictions in Memphis. Emily and Charlie also reflect on the le...

Jennifer Amido from Crosstown and Suzy Askew from Vollintine Evergreen (VECA) talk about their respective neighborhood's special characteristics and their efforts to be designated as local landmark districts.  Later in the program, Holly Jansen Fulkerson from Memphis Heritage explains the differences between local and national historic district designations and the protections they do (or don...

Antoine Thompson, national executive director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), and Amy Shaftlein, executive director of United Housing,  visit Memphis Metropolis to talk about the impacts of discrimination and public policy on black homeownership, and how strategies like down payment assistance and updated credit criteria can help.  Later in the program, commen...

In her decade in Memphis working with Innovate Memphis,  and (currently), the Memphis Medical District Collaborative (MMDC), Abby Miller -with her colleagues and collaborators - has helped pioneer a number of innovations designed to spur neighborhood economic vitality and reduce the barriers for emerging creative businesses. Abby visits Memphis Metropolis to reflect on how small-scale strateg...

Anna Holtzclaw from Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Alex Willis from Comcap Partners join Memphis Metropolis to discuss ULI's recent 21-day Equitable Development Challenge,  an opportunity for member and non-members to spend time both personally reflecting and in group discussions to identify real actions they can take individually, at their organizations, and as a community to address the ine...

A.M. O'Malley from Urban Art Commission visits Memphis Metropolis to discuss the organization's Neighborhood Art Initiative and a new project celebrating postal workers.  Later in the show,  commentator Cole  Bradley and Emily talk about increasing resident influence on how neighborhood places are shaped,  including parks, public art, and more. 

John Paul Shaffer from PeopleForBikes and Nick Oyler from the City of Memphis join us to talk about how Memphis has gone from 2 to 300 miles of off- and on-road bicycle facilities over a decade; which projects have been truly transformative, such as Shelby Farms Greenway and the Harahan Bridge Crossing; and how an intentional focus on equity and neighborhood-based programming has helped more Memph...

Holly Jansen Fulkerson from Memphis Heritage visits Memphis Metropolis to explain what historic preservation is all about, discuss some recent advocacy efforts, and introduce a new program focused on the recognition and documentation of historic African American places.  Later in the program, urban designer Ray Brown joins Emily to talk about why a gas station and convenience store on Sam Coo...