Mayor Young’s State of the City Address 2026

I want to thank council chair Swearengen-Washington and vice chair Carlisle for their service and leadership and their great words here tonight and welcoming our City Council members and elected officials from across our community. If you all could please stand, thank you for your service to our neighbors and neighborhoods.

And all of our honored guests — neighborhood leaders, business leaders and owners, and our creative community, you are the engine. Thank you for being here.

And every young person in the room. Including all of our R3 and MPLOY participants – you are the future. Our future. We honor you and we are building this City for you. 

Our work matters because of the people in this room. 

I can recall when I was first elected, there was not a room that I could go into where crime was not some part of the conversation. No matter what part of the City, it was at the top of everyone’s mind. 

At some level, it has always been a focal point. For decades, poverty, educational gaps, and long-term disinvestment created conditions where violence could take root. And when crime peaked in 2023, it wasn’t the beginning of the story, it was a breaking point.

That is why reducing violent crime became our first priority.

One of the first commitments I made to you as mayor of Memphis was to reduce serious crime by 40 percent in four years.

And tonight I am honored to say that we did it in two.

I hear from Memphians every day who are finally feeling safer letting their kids play outside, stopping for gas, or going to the grocery store. And these voices aren’t coming from our most resourced communities; they are coming from neighborhoods that have carried the heaviest burden of disinvestment and crime for generations.

When I talk to parents who have lost their children to violence, I feel their pain, and this work hits home. It becomes urgent. And as a husband and father, I feel a responsibility that goes beyond my title.

We are now at the lowest serious crime levels Memphis has seen in 25 years. And now it is time for us to go deeper by continuing to support law enforcement efforts and investing in the work that will prevent crime in the future.

The reduction did not happen by accident.
It did not happen because of any one person or any one initiative.

It happened because of strategy.
It happened because of discipline.
It happened because people from our community showed up every single day to do hard work under intense pressure, in every community across our city.

So tonight, I want to recognize the leadership that made this progress possible.

Chief CJ Davis, would you please stand.

Chief Davis, under your leadership, the Memphis Police Department delivered historic reductions in violent crime. You stepped into one of the most challenging moments this city has faced, and you met it head-on.

To the men and women of the Memphis Police Department, please stand.
Forty percent reduction. Reductions in every zip code in our city.

And I want to be clear — this work did not stop with policing alone.
It took a whole city showing up.

Our Joint Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement and our community partners – addressing the root causes of violence.
Our Fire Department, emergency dispatchers, and first responders answering the call in moments of crisis.
Our Code Enforcement officers, Public Works crews, 3-1-1 operators, and the Community Enhancement Division restoring order, dignity, and quality of life block by block.
And every City of Memphis employee who serves this city.

If you are part of any of our teams, please stand.

The average person – even those who support us – don’t always see the work you are doing every single day, as you show up to serve this city.
Often without recognition.
Often under criticism.

Clearing streets in the middle of the night. Filling potholes in the bitter cold. Answering constituent questions at all hours. Every day. 

Memphis works because you work.
Now, here’s why this moment matters.

We are making progress on public safety.
And that progress gives us room to focus on what comes next.

It brings us to the challenge in front of us now. Because, as I said the first time I stood before you at my 100-day speech, there isn’t much in our city that couldn’t be solved with more people and more money.

Now is the time to bring more of both to Memphis.

It’s been two years since I took office, and I must say that it has been the journey of a lifetime. It’s tough work but I love the work because I know it serves a greater purpose.

People ask me often, is it what you expected it to be? And its always difficult for me to answer because I did expect it to be hard and intense. What I think has been unexpected has been the number of unexpected challenges that we would encounter in such a short time.

Budget gaps, MATA deficits, federal intervention, xAI, business closings, weather events and many other high profile issues keep us on our toes everyday. 

In the backdrop of these more prominent newsworthy issues, our City was reaching a tipping point. The population of our City went from 650k in 2000 to roughly 615k today. That means less taxpayers to support the needs of our residents. And as you know from your own household budgets, things are getting MORE expensive each day, so it is important that we build up our City and reverse our population trends.

One of the issues that makes this population loss more challenging is the geographic size of our City. Memphis is 300 square miles with 615k people. For comparison sake, the City of Boston is 91 square miles with 670k people. One third the size of Memphis. This explains why its challenging to have efficient transportation and to cover all of the basic city services, because we have such a large geography and not enough people to fill up the spaces.

It isn’t sustainable. We need more density to make the systems works. That means our next chapter has to shift our plan from growing outward to growing upward.

We must be strategic about building density back into our core.
About concentrating investment where it creates the most opportunity.
And about designing a city that works better for the people who live here today and the people we want to welcome tomorrow.

Cities rise when people feel safe, when neighborhoods are cared for, and when opportunity feels real.
And when you focus on fundamentals, progress follows.

We have been working on the fundamentals: 

We are committed to stabilization of MATA, protecting essential transit service for the Memphians who rely on it every day to get to work, to school, and to opportunity.

For the first time since 2019, Memphis Animal Services returned to full open intake, reflecting a system built on compassion and responsibility.

We had a record year in employment for our young people, with more than 1,800 students gaining meaningful experience through our MPLOY program we are committing to funding 3000 work experiences this year and every year following. 

We are strengthening blight enforcement, holding bad actors accountable, and remediating long-standing disinvestment.

An example of this came through the work of our City’s Legal Team, when the demolition of the Somerset apartments marked a turning point for the Oakhaven community, replacing years of blight with the possibility of renewal and clearing the way for growth.

These wins don’t always dominate the headlines.
But they change lives. They build trust. And they prove that when we stay focused, Memphis delivers. And progress follows. 

Our next big push for progress will come in how we think about housing. 

Because housing means more than just a roof over someone’s head.
Housing is the foundation to any growing city.
It is the most critical building block of a city’s functioning and growth.

Housing is what allows businesses to thrive by putting customers and workers nearby.
It connects industries to a reliable workforce.
And it gives downtowns and retail centers the population density they need to sustain long-term growth and vitality.

If we are going to jump-start Memphis’ growth, we have to build differently.
And we have to invest more deliberately.

That means modernizing outdated rules that make housing hard to build.
And bringing a new, streamlined development code to City Council for adoption — removing red tape, speeding approvals, and making it easier to build the homes Memphis needs to thrive.

It means expanding access to land so development can happen where it is needed most. And it means aligning our capital so land, infrastructure, financing, and approvals move together, not in silos.

Over the next year, we will formalize a new, cooperative structure that aligns the City, our community economic development partners, and private and philanthropic capital around a single housing strategy.

This structure will be built on shared responsibility.

Shared responsibility for deploying capital.
For managing resources.
For coordinating a unified deal pipeline.
And for making smarter, data-informed investment decisions that match the scale of the challenge in front of us.

All of this work is driven by one clear outcome.

To put Memphis back on a path toward population growth.

My commitment is that by 2030, Memphis will deliver 10,000 new affordable and market-rate homes in the core city.

This goal may sound ambitious, but you should know that we are already well on our way. 

In Hyde Park, long-vacant land is being assembled for future homes — a sign that North Memphis is being seen, valued, and prepared for what’s next, with a focus on long-term stability and opportunity.

In Boxtown, Westwood, and Whitehaven, a new home repair program reflects the power of community advocacy, with voices like Barbara Britton and Melvin Watkins helping ensure that reinvestment strengthens the people who already call these neighborhoods home. 

This Spring, we will see 126 rental and homeownership units placed in service by The Works CDC and ComCap Partners in South Memphis, North Memphis, and Frayser.

In South Memphis, Casey Cooper is building luxury homes in areas that have previously been overlooked.

And in Uptown and Klondike–Smokey City, emerging developers like Wayne Moody are helping turn vacant lots into essential housing, supported by the Memphis Community Redevelopment Agency — growing both neighborhoods and the next generation of local builders at the same time.

Our cooperative strategy will allow our team to secure the resources to support the development of quality housing in the heart of our City, as well as identify resources for our residents so that they can afford the housing once it is built.

That is how housing becomes a growth strategy.
And density becomes opportunity.
It is how we build a city that people choose.

We are also investing in people, especially our young people, because the future of Memphis depends on how we prepare and propel the next generation forward. And one of the surest ways to continue reducing crime and keep our city on the right path is to ensure everyone in our community has access to jobs. 

Right now, too many young adults in our city are full of potential and in need of opportunity. They are out of school. Out of work. And too often, out of sight. This is not a talent problem. This is a pathway problem. And we are solving it.

Our workforce strategy for young people is built around one simple idea: real opportunity is created when work, training, and long-term careers are intentionally invested in and connected.

That is why we are aligning the City’s efforts with a proven, employer-driven model that meets young people where they are and connects them to where the jobs actually are. 

Too often, we promise young people we’re making them “job-ready,” then tell them they have to wait for the jobs to come. And that’s where we lose them. 

Not anymore.

Along with our partners and community leaders, we are building clear pathways to prosperity for young adults through our partnership with Collective Blueprint and the Prosper 901 initiative, focusing on three strategies to change the lives of 5000 young people by 2030. 

First, we’re expanding paid work. By 2030, we will scale paid work experiences so that more young adults have access to internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job learning with real employers, earning real wages. These are not simulations. These are jobs that pay at least $17 an hour and provide meaningful experience.

Second, high-quality training tied directly to demand. We are expanding access to training opportunities aligned to where Memphis is already strong and growing.

• Technology
• Healthcare.
• The skilled trades.
• Education 
• Hospitality.

These pathways combine technical skills with coaching, soft skills, and wraparound support, because talent grows when people are supported as whole human beings.

Third, careers that last. We are working with employers and private capital to increase the number of high-quality, full-time, semi-skilled jobs in our city, with clear advancement pathways and wealth-building opportunities. 

That means supporting job creation, inclusive entrepreneurship, and employee ownership models that allow young people to build stability and stake in this city.

This strategy is driven by the data,  it is employer-led, and accountable to outcomes.

And the results are real. When access to opportunity expands, lives change. Families find stability. Communities grow stronger. And the entire city benefits.

And as the third leg of our growth strategy platform, we are ready to recognize and amplify our culture as a serious economic driver.

Because culture is not a side note in the work of strengthening our city. Culture is key. 

Memphis does not just have culture. Memphis is culture. Ask any visitor, and they will tell you, Memphis just feels different. And they say that with love. They recognize what so many see. Memphis is special.

Innovation has always been in our DNA. We are Culture City.

From music to food to movement, Memphis is foundational to what the world knows as American culture. Not inspired by it. Not adjacent to it. We are the source.

The blues. Gospel. Soul. Rock and roll. Hip-hop. These did not pass through Memphis. They were born here. Shaped here. Carried from our neighborhoods to the world. And that matters, because culture is not just legacy. Culture is economic power.

That is the purpose behind our Memphis Music Live 365 initiative.

This initiative is about lifting up what already exists and connecting it to opportunity. Promoting our music culture. Attracting visitors. Engaging residents.
Helping to create more consistent income for working musicians and artists.
And building pathways for creative talent to turn passion into profession. It is about ensuring the people who create our culture can build lives and futures here.

This is where you come in, influencers. We are asking influencers, artists, tourism leaders, the Chamber, our hospitality partners, and every person in this room to help tell this story.

We are asking you to share the fact that any Sunday church service in Memphis is probably better than any paid show in NYC. We are asking you to share the coffee shop acoustic sets and the late-night blues master classes on Beale; and to remind your followers and friends and their followers and friends that world-class live music lives here: three hundred sixty-five days a year.

Memphis is not chasing a title. We are simply claiming what has always been true. We are the original music city. Not because of a slogan. But because of our history and our influence. Because of the living, breathing culture that rises from our city every single day.

When we invest in culture, we invest in identity. When we invest in identity, we strengthen pride. And when pride and opportunity grow together, Memphis rises.

And growth is sustained when people feel rooted, when neighborhoods have places and leaders that hold communities together.

In Frayser, the new LEED-certified library paired with Floyd Plaza—the revitalized shopping center now honoring the late Pastor Ricky Floyd—stand as powerful symbols of pride, access, and respect. These anchors prove that investing in community still matters, creating spaces where families gather, businesses thrive, and legacies endure.

In Binghampton, the 2025 opening of the state-of-the-art Lester Community Center transformed concrete and steel into a true heartbeat for the neighborhood—a nearly 30,000-square-foot hub for wellness, recreation, learning, and deep connection that reminds us shared spaces build unbreakable bonds.

Right here on Broad Avenue, Reverend Keith Norman and First Baptist Broad are elevating the Own Your Block vision to new heights. By acquiring and activating properties across the neighborhood—from a football field hosting youth sports and outdoor worship to a community event center—they’re claiming space, empowering residents, and showing what faith-driven ownership can do.

In Westwood the Southwest Twin site is being cleared to make way for a community-centered civic development.

And along Summer Avenue, ongoing work to enhance safety, modernize infrastructure, and prioritize complete streets reflects a thoughtful, transparent commitment to progress—one centered on the people who live, work, and dream here every day.

These efforts are weaving a stronger central corridor, one that’s safer, more vibrant, and primed for the next wave of investment and activation by small businesses, non-profits, and corporate partners alike.

When we root our growth in real neighborhoods and real people, Memphis doesn’t just thrive, we rise.

We are reducing violent crime and making neighborhoods safer. We are restoring dignity by taking on blight block by block. We are investing in housing and opening doors to opportunity for our young people.  And we are claiming our culture, not as decoration, but as an engine of growth.

These are not isolated strategies. They are connected.

They reflect a city that understands density is not about buildings alone, but about connection. About bringing people closer to opportunity, to services, and to one another.

Changing the trajectory is how we change the narrative and start telling the real story of Memphis. With clear goals and a vision that is both aspirational and grounded in the science of hope, we can ensure Memphis thrives.

In 2024, I committed to reducing serious crime by 40 percent in four years.
We delivered on that promise two years early. 

Now, I am committing to this next chapter — I am committed to Memphis rising, through: 

• Celebrating our culture as an economic driver. 
• Building 10,000 affordable and market-rate homes in the core city by 2030.
• Creating 3,000 paid summer jobs every year through MPLOY. These early work experiences will give young people income, exposure, and a first connection to the world of work.
• And, to putting 5,000 young adults on a pathway to prosperity by 2030, through access to paid work experiences, high-quality training, and real careers that lead to long-term stability.

These commitments are about more than numbers.

They are about building a city people choose. A city people choose to stay in.  A city people choose to return to. A city people choose to invest in. A city people choose to believe in.

The theme for tonight is Memphis IS rising and I firmly believe that is a statistical fact. Our City is safer than it was just two years ago. Our economy is stronger and there are more opportunities available now than there were two years ago. 

But I don’t want anyone to mistake our progress for contentment. We know that more must be done. I also want to acknowledge and validate the feelings of those that don’t feel the progress. Those that still see blighted homes and vacancy on commercial corridors in their community. The ones that are earning wages that aren’t keeping pace with the costs for food and housing. The ones that still don’t feel safer because they have been victimized or know someone who is a victim.

We are not ignoring our challenges. We are meeting them with strategy, discipline, and hope backed by action.

We are changing the trajectory.
And now, together, we change the narrative.

We sustain the gain.
We invite.
We invest.
We believe.

Hope wins.
Memphis wins.
Memphis rises.