Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Memphis

A 2013 festival at Mississippi and Walker. Photo: Innovate Memphis.

The Motherland of Soul Is Getting an All-Ages Biking Network

By Michael Andersen | Mar 13, 2017 | No Comments

Even as South Memphis has left deep marks on U.S. culture, its neighborhoods themselves have suffered. Now the city is working through many channels to reverse that -- one of which is putting the district at the front of the queue to get one of the country's first connected networks of all-ages bikeways.

Memphis swallowed territory at a rapid pace in the 20th Century, and policy makers now believe the city is spread too thin. Image via Modern Cities

Reversing Sun Belt Growth Model, Memphis Looks to Shrink Its Footprint

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 13, 2017 | 5 Comments

Like many Sun Belt cities, Memphis owes its population growth over the last several decades to outward expansion. Since 1998 alone, the city has overseen 15 annexations, occupying a larger footprint than Chicago. But now the city believes that some of its farthest flung territory is more liability than asset.

Finally Some Relief for Memphis Bus Riders

By Angie Schmitt | Sep 21, 2016 | No Comments

The shameful state of Memphis’s bus system is one of the more outrageous stories in American transit. When we checked in with the advocates at the Memphis Bus Riders Union in March, they told us the local transit agency, MATA, was running buses so poorly maintained that they were known to catch fire. In the midst of this crisis, local business leaders had marshaled enough cash to restore […]

A Better Bus Stop: Big Ideas From Transit Riders for a Better Wait

By Angie Schmitt | Aug 1, 2016 | 15 Comments

Streetsblog has been calling attention to the dismal state of transit waiting areas with our Sorriest Bus Stop in America tournament. Transit riders have to put up with conditions that no one should stand for — bus stops with nothing to sit on and no shelter, bus stops by dangerous, high-speed roads with no sidewalks, even “secret” bus stops […]

Tourists Keep Their Trolleys While Memphis Bus Riders Face Devastating Cuts

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 31, 2016 | 7 Comments

Memphis’s transit system is in crisis. For a long time, the Memphis Area Transit Authority redirected funds intended for repairing buses and trolleys to instead pay drivers and buy gas. Now the jig is up. A handful of buses as well as two of the city’s historic trolleys have actually caught fire in recent years. According to MATA CEO Ron […]

A Sunday Afternoon in the Land of Parking Craters

By Angie Schmitt | Mar 11, 2016 | 12 Comments

Ah, a relaxing day at the park — in modern America. This spoof on Georges Seurat’s iconic painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” was produced by Memphis activist David Lindsey. The inspiration: Memphis now directs overflow parking from the Memphis Zoo to the city’s historic Overton Park, despite vigorous local opposition. A pair of lawsuits […]

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