Breaking News from the SMZ
In the fall of 2025, More For Memphis—a multi-sector initiative dedicated to improving the quality of life for all residents of Memphis and Shelby County by ensuring equitable access to essential services and resources—launched a new chapter of its work in South Memphis. This community-focused effort, called the South Memphis Zone (SMZ), is a 12-month proof-of-concept designed to show what can happen when organizations come together to support the same families in the same place at the same time.
How Do We Solve Population Decline?
Last month, Mayor Paul Young broke with the tradition observed by recent mayors of Memphis by acknowledging the fact that the city’s population is in steady decline. Now, a new state law could change the way sales tax revenue is allocated to municipalities based on what proportion of Tennesseans live there.
Population loss affects more than sales tax revenue: it also means less revenue in property taxes and fewer patrons for local businesses. So what do we do about this?
Connecting K-12 with career opportunities to create purposeful pathways for students
When we think about “mobility” for high school students, our first thoughts are often about driver’s licenses, cars, and how teenagers physically get from place to place. But what about their ability to be economically mobile after they graduate from high school?
Mobility = Mobility
MATA has officially extended its fare-free pilot through March 31, with further expansion beyond that possible as well. The city council also approved a measure to reallocate millions of dollars from the Bus Rapid Transit system to shore up MATA’s existing operations.
MATA has long been underfunded compared to the need across Memphis. Ridership has dwindled as routes have been cut, and access has been hard to achieve for our sprawling city. Without physical mobility, we will never achieve economic mobility, so how do we fix Memphis’ public transit?
What is the best way to handle school closures?
The Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board voted to approve the closure of five schools, in line with the recommendation of Superintendent Roderick Richmond. According to the Daily Memphian, three of the closures were not discussed during the meeting and were approved unanimously, while two received more pushback.
In this update, we discuss what makes for a successful school transition, what the research shows us about the impact of closures, and how families can best navigate the change.