A strategic future

Among the country's metropolitan regions, the Memphis region has many important assets and advantages. The area is in an enviable geographic location. It has many transportation and distribution assets, including the Memphis International Airport (MIA) ranked as the largest cargo airport in the world. It has a strong and growing economy and a worldwide reputation for culture and arts. Unfortunately, as new opportunities and challenges emerge, the old attitudes and ways of seeing and understanding can prevent effective action on the strategies necessary to build a competitive region in the global economy. The most critical mistake that the leaders of the Memphis region can make today is to be satisfied. Why? There is one simple answer: the region is at a crossroads where it can choose to become a great competitor in the world marketplace or be left behind as new development activities flow to other regions.

Moving the region into a position of power in the global marketplace will require vision and strategic coordinated action. A comprehensive vision of the future must capture the strengths of all sectors and all geographic areas - not just the vision of any one sector, any one company, or any one political leader. This vision must view the region as a living organism in which the strength and health of the whole depends on cooperation and coordination between the various organs and systems. It must be a strategic vision that assures a proactive approach - planning the outcome rather than waiting for the future to happen.

This new vision, or conceptual framework, is a necessary component in changing the way the Memphis region currently functions. A new conceptual framework helps each component of the region focus on the objectives - making each day a step toward creating enhanced economic opportunities and higher quality of life for its citizens.

I. Objectives of the Regional Vision
  A. Fulfill the mission of linking the region to the continental grid
  B. Strengthen the platform for global market access
  C. Build the resources necessary to compete in the new economy
  D. Enhance the quality of life in the region
  E. Build a positive mentality about the region

II. The Memphis region needs to act on these 10 critical issues expeditiously or the opportunity for its emergence as a competitor in the new global market will be lost:

Ensure the Quality of the Environment.
The environment is one of the Memphis region's most important assets. From the Mississippi River, to the area's rich farmland, to the unique aquifers that provide drinking water to the region, the area has abundant environmental resources. Ensuring the continued quality of these assets will require monitoring, protecting and regulating air and water quality. It also will require the preservation of the area's natural resources as well as the development and enhancement of access to natural resources via greenways and parks.

Strengthen the Region's Infrastructure
Infrastructure undergirds the region's economy. As the region continues to grow across state and county lines, more coordination is critical in telecommunications, power, water and wastewater management. Supporting the area's growth will demand the development of a wastewater master plan, protection of aquifers to secure the water supply and develop local telecommunications access. In addition, the coordination of infrastructure with transportation and land use to develop an urban growth management policy for the metro is critical in order for the region to be competitive.

Continue to Enhance the Region's Transportation/Logistics Systems by Building on the Core of the Memphis International Airport
The future of the region's economy and quality of life is dependent on access to global markets, the national grid and regional amenities. Although the region has various components of all modes of transportation, an integrated multi modal strategy would enhance the region's position as a transcontinental hub. The continuing connection of existing modes of transportation and the development of a global logistics strategy could help position the Memphis region as one of the world's "new economy" centers.

Build Economic Strength and Diversity
The Memphis region sits at an important crossroads in its economic history. The area has a diverse and strong economic base, but faces the opportunity to significantly enhance the "new economy" sectors of technology and bio-tech to its economic mix. The region should work to enhance its existing businesses, develop marketing programs to attract new business, and support entrepreneurial activity and minority business.

Elevate Education and Research to Support Economic Development and Quality of Life
The major global economic centers of the 21st century will be knowledge centers. The region has the opportunity to build its knowledge economy and become a significant national educational and research center. Building the knowledge economy can come from within through an integrated strategy encompassing all levels of the education system.

Continue to Build and Improve Medical and Research Resources
The Memphis region's hospitals, medical school and medical/research community form the core for what can become a leading national health sciences and research medical center. The development of a mission to create and grow the bio-med economy and the generation of collaborative and synergistic efforts among the medical community are among the immediate actions that the region's leaders should take towards this goal.

Protect the Region's Center Cities
The health of the entire region is dependent on the vitality of its metro core. In addition, each of the outlying regional centers is anchored by a center city. Through a collaborative growth plan, land use policies can be established that will emphasize the metro core as the centerpiece of the region and protect the quality of the individual center cities in the region. A multi-jurisdictional strategy to address many issues, including poverty, low-density suburban development, density coordination, the role of the metro core as a multi-dimensional center and the revitalization of decaying urban areas is essential.

Coordinate and Promote Culture and Arts
Culture and the arts have a strong impact on the region's economy and its quality of life. Although the region has many culture and arts offerings and resources, there is a need for a regional cultural plan and other coordinated efforts to fund activities and to promote the region's arts and cultural assets within the region and to national and global audiences.

Use Sports, Convention and Tourism as Economic Development Tools
The region has a wide variety of sports, convention and tourism assets and the foundation to build upon those assets. The opportunity currently exists to position the area for professional sports as it continues to strengthen existing sports events and amateur/youth sports. The region should link its "known" tourist attractions to other regional attractions, including eco-tourism, heritage tourism, Native American heritage, outdoor, and recreational offerings. Due to the large number of quality convention facilities, the Memphis region can market itself to a larger national audience through collaborative efforts.

Cooperate, communicate and collaborate within the region
The Memphis region has two EPA districts, three census districts, five counties, more than 40 cities, two Metropolitan Planning Districts, a huge variety of school districts, minor civil divisions and other public management jurisdictions. The region is represented by six senators, three governors and a diverse congressional delegation. Communication and cooperation among these bodies can strengthen the region in many important ways. Organizing a three-state congressional legislative caucus as well as a caucus to represent the region to individual states' legislatures is imperative if the Memphis region is to achieve its goals.

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