The metro is a combination of urbanized and urbanizing areas and is composed of 16 contiguous, or nearly continuous, cities. The urbanized area contains the largest and densest concentration of people, jobs, services and institutions in the region and forms its core. While city limit lines give one indication of the metro area, urban growth is expanding in front of annexation. Therefore, the actual metro edge is a line created by the boundary of urban growth, rather than the incorporated edge of the contiguous cities. This edge is constantly changing due to population growth and the effects of new development.

The metro covers almost all of Shelby County, parts of Fayette County in Tennessee, DeSoto in Mississippi, and Crittenden in Arkansas; but, again, it is not defined by county lines but by the edge of continuous urbanization.

The form of the metro.
The Memphis metro is a unique version of the classic concentric and radial metro due to the effects of the Mississippi River. The river has split the metro into two geographically unequal parts. The largest and more densely urbanized part of the metro area, to the east of the Mississippi River, has a radial and concentric structure. Like other radial and concentric metros, the radial corridors emanate from the center city. In the case of Memphis, essentially only one corridor extends west across the Mississippi. This corridor originates as two corridors in Memphis (I-40 and I-55) and merges in West Memphis. Five other metro corridors fan out from the center city to the north, east and south. In most radial and concentric metros, such as Atlanta, the beltway typically rings the center city. However, due to the influence of the Mississippi River, the I-240 beltway around Memphis is offset to the east of the center city.

The effect of the I-240 beltway on the Memphis metro is significant. Until the beltway was constructed, the metro's development pattern was primarily radial along the arterial corridors. The beltway divided the metro into inner and outer zones and provided the structure upon which to fill in the quadrants between the radial corridors. Beyond the beltway the I-40 and I-55 corridors extend outward, providing the backbone for additional outer beltway development. A series of north-south arterials connect the I-40 and Nonconnah Parkway and provide the structure for continuing eastern growth of the metro. The Nonconnah Parkway and the Paul W. Barret Parkway are the first completed elements in what will ultimately become a super outer-belt. It will extend approximately 15 to 22 miles around the center of the city and transform the I-240 beltway into an inner belt.

The development pattern.
As the metro evolved from a single city to a multi-city urbanized area, several forces helped shape its development. These forces include the Mississippi River, its tributaries and topography, historic centers, residential areas, transportation improvements including rail lines, interstates, airports, and institutions such as hospitals and universities.

The anchor of the development pattern is traditional downtown Memphis. It is the region's largest mixed-use center with its offices, hotels, entertainment, sports, convention center, historic sites and districts and government offices. Extending outward from the downtown is a series of radial corridors, which form the backbone for various developmental activities. The primary development corridor is the Poplar Avenue corridor, which bisects the eastern section of the metro and is biased slightly to the south. The Poplar corridor is the dominant commercial and institutional corridor, serving as the spine for a sequence of commercial and institutional activities, including the University of Memphis, major hospitals, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, the Memphis Zoo, the central library and an assortment of office and retail centers. Ten miles from the center city, the Poplar corridor intersects the I-240 beltway and continues to the southeast of the metro through Collierville. At this intersection (I-240 Exit 15), a major perimeter commercial center typical of metro development has emerged to form a second "pole," or anchor point, in the metro development pattern. While the I-240 beltway/Poplar center is not as diverse as the traditional downtown, it has developed into a large office center with a significant retail component.

In addition to these two commercial centers, midway along the southern section of the beltway, is the Memphis International Airport providing the region with access to the continental and global marketplace. It is one of three Northwest Airlines hubs and is the location of the FedEx Superhub. Memphis International Airport is the largest air cargo facility in the world. The airport Memphis International Airport has spurred an enormous concentration of distribution, industrial and manufacturing facilities. This growth has been a catalyst for residential growth in the southern part of the metro, extending well into DeSoto County, Mississippi.

The metro municipalities.
The 16 municipalities of the Memphis metro area were once separated by open fields and a rural landscape. Today, more than one million people live in a continuously urbanized area across three states in municipalities sharing common borders. The only physical separation between the cities of the metro is the Mississippi River. The cities, as components of the metro area, govern and manage the life of the community. Each city's specific role in the region is defined by its position in the geometry of the metro structure, its demographic characteristics and its economic, institutional, environmental and cultural resources. Within this pattern, each city has a definable relationship to other cities and the metro itself. Understanding the role and relationship of each city within the metro framework is essential if the metro cities are to work together effectively in establishing common goals and strategies vital to the region's future.

In a typical radial and concentric metro such as Atlanta, Houston or Memphis, the central city and county provides leadership and coordination for the metro in partnership with other metro cities and counties. Six emerging outer metro ring cities, located at the junction of the outer beltway and each of the six primary radial corridors, define the future of the metro perimeter. These cities are Millington, Lakeland/Arlington, Collierville/Piperton, Byhalia, Hernando and the Walls community. Between the metro perimeter and the center are a series of intermediate cities that are located in each corridor. The smaller cities are important partners in a metro development strategy by establishing the connectivity and continuity between the center and perimeter necessary for any metro initiative.

Centers / Corridors / Quadrants
The many diverse components that form the pattern and structure of the Memphis metro area can be grouped into three general categories: centers, corridors, and quadrants. The centers are formed by a variety of urban concentrations of varying size and function.

Centers include the traditional downtown of Memphis and the other downtowns of the smaller cities such as West Memphis, Collierville and Millington. Centers also include new specialty commercial centers such as those around the Memphis International Airport, institutional centers like the University of Memphis and Overton Park areas, and transportation centers such as the Memphis International Airport.

The corridors, a combination of transportation and parallel developmental activities, were initially formed by the Mississippi River and overland trails. Later, with the evolution of steam power, came the railroads. Paved arterial roads and interstate highways have evolved to form the Memphis corridor structure as it is today. The corridors are the region's connecting system, while the centers are the hubs of various activities. The quadrants, formed by the lattice of centers and corridors, are a series of primarily residential communities and neighborhoods that vary significantly throughout the metro.

The principal metro center is emerging as a multi-functional area formed by a combination of the traditional downtown and Midtown areas of Memphis. A second, newer business district has emerged at the intersection of I-240 and Poplar Avenue that includes more than 1.5 million square feet of retail and almost 8 million square feet of office space. Between these two centers along Poplar are two other important institutional centers at Overton Park and the University of Memphis.

The metro perimeter is defined by a ring of six urban centers. There are seven radial corridors (US-51, I-40 East, US-72/Poplar Avenue, TN 385/ Bill Morris, I-55 South, US-61, I-40 West and I-55 North) and two beltway metro corridors (the I-40/240 beltway and the TN 385/MS 304 Outer Beltway under construction) within the metro. The corridor structure divides the area to the west of the Mississippi River into three quadrants. The area east of the Mississippi River is separated by the existing and planned corridor structure into ten quadrants, three of which are within the I-40/240 beltway and seven within the planned outer belt.

The region's structure is defined by its interstate, railway and development patterns. The I-240 belt circles the intersection of I-40 and I-55 and forms the nucleus of the metro structure. The area within the beltway is divided into two sections. The larger eastern quadrant is formed by a combination of I-40 and I-240. The second, and smaller, western quadrant is formed by I-40 and I-55. Within the beltway, the Poplar Street corridor bisects both quadrants and forms the multi-function (i.e. retail, office, residential and transportation) backbone of the metro development pattern.

Structural Changes
The structure of the metro area is created by a permanent and static set of elements. While structural change takes place slowly, it has the greatest and most significant impact on the population distribution, the location of economic activity and traffic flow patterns. Current plans for the completion of the next phase of the metro structure are focused on expanding the structure to the east in the form of the outer beltway. Plans are in place to expand the metro structure with an outer belt freeway that would connect the Paul W. Barret Parkway with TN 385 and MS 304.

Typically, the completion of beltways leads to important changes in the economic and demographic pattern of the region. As more economic activity moves to the beltways, an important demographic shift takes place, leaving the core areas with wealthy and poor people, while the middle class moves beyond the beltway. As the Memphis region constructs more beltways, a framework for more automobile-oriented low-density development is being created.

The outer belt freeway, in combination with parkways and arterial radials, will enable the expansion of the metro. The completion of an outer beltway will help create a new series of quadrants surrounding the two inner metro core quadrants.

Metro Memphis will be defined by the new metro centers and the emerging outer ring of six cities. This outer ring of cities includes Millington (US-51 at Paul W. Barret Parkway), Arlington (I-40 East at TN 385), Collierville (US-72 at TN 385), Byhalia (US-78), Hernando (I-55 at MS 304), and Walls (US-61).

The Missing Link
The foundation of the Memphis region, and its importance to the nation and role in the continental and global economy, is based on its function as a key transcontinental hub linking the eastern and western continental grids. While plans are under way to expand the metro structure to the east, surprisingly there are no current plans in place to expand the connections across the Mississippi River. The region's ability to strengthen the link between the two continental grids continues to be one of its most important issues on a local, national and continental basis. The construction of a third road and rail seismic multi-modal bridge spanning the Mississippi River would not only reinforce Memphis' position as a transcontinental hub, it would also serve as an economic generator for West Memphis, eastern Arkansas, and northern Mississippi.

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