Memphis’ Digital City
Smart People & Smart Tech Transform a Community
On October 19, 2021, Start Co. joined the Downtown Memphis Commission and the Greater Memphis Chamber to share details about the Digital City and how local leaders will harness its capabilities to drive positive social change and economic growth. This conversation took place at the Smart Cities Connect Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. where hundreds of city leaders, community innovators, and technology experts gathered to discuss how the adoption and integration of smart technology solutions can lead to the betterment of cities, communities, and their citizens.
Speakers:
- Andre Fowlkes – President of Start Co.
- Ted Townsend – Chief Economic Development Officer of the Greater Memphis Chamber
- Paul Young – President & CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission
Moderator:
- Rachel Reilly – Founder of Aces & Archers
Recap
Speakers began the discussion by providing context on the state of economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurship in Memphis from a regional, city-wide, and neighborhood perspective.
“What we are working to do is ensure that those [living in Downtown Memphis] during the down years are going to benefit from the new growth that is coming, from the opportunities that are coming.” – Paul Young, Downtown Memphis Commission
Andre Fowlkes provided an overview of the Digital City. Fowlkes then spoke to how the Digital City’s capabilities and attributions (i.e. the Consortium and the Smart Entrepreneurship Engine) will have a direct impact within its Downtown Memphis footprint, and will deliver benefits that will radiate throughout the city and region.
“The Digital City is trying to marry smart city infrastructure with entrepreneurial ecosystem development, and we think that is really critical. Overall, the Digital City is focused on climate and equity. We are looking at mobility challenges that we face in our community, as well as Black entrepreneurship and how we can digitize the Black entrepreneurship value chain.” – Andre Fowlkes, Start Co.
Paul Young and Ted Townsend provided insights on the opportunity to leverage the Digital City to strengthen Downtown Memphis and improve both economic growth throughout the Memphis region. Fowlkes then described ways in which applications of the Digital City have the potential to do so.
“For Memphis to succeed, we have to create Black wealth. Not Black middle class, Black wealth. We recently participated in an exercise with [the Brookings Institute] called the Inclusive Economic Development Lab…and out of that exercise we now have 40 indicators that we are using to measure the strength and health of our economy. A lot of that is dealing with issues, challenges, and pain points that can be addressed by smart city technology applications.” – Ted Townsend, Greater Memphis Chamber
The discussion closed with all panelists speaking to the importance of establishing local alignment and partnerships that can sustain Smart Cities solutions, like the Digital City, over the long-term and utilize its capabilities to drive positive social and economic outcomes.
View the recording of the panel discussion and coverage from Government Technology for more information.