Business improvement districts (BIDs): An economic development policy or a tool for gentrification

Figures & data

Figure 1. BIDs locations in NYC.

Table 1. BIDs in Brooklyn 16 (samples) on the left

No.	BID name	No. participants
1	Atlantic Avenue	3
2	Bed-Stuy Gateway	1
3	Church Avenue	3
4	Court-Livingston-Schermerhorn	3
5	DUMBO Improvement District	1
6	Flatbush Avenue	3
7	Flatbush-Nostrand Junction	1
8	Fulton Area Business (FAB) Alliance	3
9	Fulton Mall Improvement Association	3
10	Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership	1
11	Montague Street	3
12	Grand Street	1
13	MetroTech	3
14	East Brooklyn	1
15	Graham Avenue	1
16	Sunset Park	1
17	Kings Highway	0
18	North Flatbush	0
19	Park Slope 5th Avenue	0
20	Pitkin Avenue	0
21	86th Street Bay Ridge	0
22	Bay Ridge 5th Avenue	0
23	Brighton Beach	0
Total		32

Table 2. Qualitative data analysis

De-contextualization				Contextualization
Codes	Category	Themes	Accounts	Interpretation
“Clean streets”	“Enhanced physical appearance”	“Real estate value is increasing and so is the property tax”	“Low-income residents as well as small business are displaced”	This BIDs area is now completely transformed within three/four years. Currently, this area is only affordable to big businesses and high income residents
“Well-lit streets”	“Increase in sales”	“Rent is increasing faster than the nearby areas”	“Demographic change for residents while big businesses take over spaces occupied by small businesses”	Low-income home owners are enticed to sell, they can get big money for their homes besides the property tax is increasing. Mixed use buildings will replace traditional homes
“New shops and restaurant”	“The area is cleaning up nicely”	“New people and new businesses are moving in”	“Real estate value continues to appreciate even faster than before”	Small businesses now cannot afford to pay rent here, but the price effect in this neighborhood is spilling over to the adjacent areas
“Responsive city agencies”	“Some residents and businesses are struggling”
“Higher foot traffics”
“People want to be here”
“Increasing demand for housing and commercial rent”
“Everything is nearby”
“More police presence”

Table 3. BIDs immediate impacts (N = 32)

Codes	Selected responses
	1	2	3	4	% of 32 Agreee
“Clean street”	“I must admit streets in and around Atlantic before they built Barclays Center used to be an eyesore”	“I recall one time early in the morning that I found a body in the street, Bed Stuy Gateway used to be dirty and dangerous place, now it is shaping up very nicely”	“ If there is a way to find pictures of Church in the past, it used to look like a dumpster, every trash can was overflowing”	“DUMPO was literally equated to mess and dirt, this place has come a long way”	93
“Well-lit streets”	“Some of these streets used to be scary because they were dark”	“People don’t come out when it is dark because when it was dark it was unsafe around some parts of Court”	“The good thing is that people forget about how bad and dull and dark it used to be around Flatbush-Nostrand Junction”	“This area is completely transformed which is great for people who live around Metrotech”	100
“New shops and restaurant”	“Now we have the cafes and all kind of ethnic food around here”	“As the say, first you get Starbuck, we have two of them and soon enough the place will look very different”	“On Flatbush side alone there is at least 15 new restaurants”	“Not only coffee shops, but also other shop are coming to this area”	100
“Responsive city agencies”	“We used to wait days for snow to be plowed”	“There is a police officer around the corner Montague Street 24/7”	“The biggest change is that garbage can don’t overflow anymore”	“Lucky for the resident, now we matter because the place is nicer”	100
“Higher foot traffics”	“Downtown is very lively everyday”	“People now come and walk around here, that is how we get business”	“No doubt we are getting people to come here, especially in the summer”	“I think we will continue to have more foot traffic around Flatbush because it is a business area now”	100
“People want to be here”	“There is food and there are shops, why not be here”	“ Just ask brokers and realtors about the rush to come to Bed-Stuy”	“Before the cleanup, this is not a highly desired area”	“They are coming and that is good and bad, it depends on whether you own or rent”	100
“Increasing demand for housing and commercial rent”	“The downside to improving is that everybody wants to be here”	“Just forget it, to be able to afford rent around Barclays Atlantic now”	“There are more people who are looking to live around Fulton, I don’t even bother asking”	“Soon enough, many people will not be able to compete with people with big bucks”	100
“Everything is nearby”	“That is the beauty, you don’t have to go far to get anything”	“The café, the bar, the restaurant and even Enterprise rental car is here, why do you need to go anywhere”	“For someone like me, I don’t want to walk farther from home, I like the change”	“Literally, you can get anything you need within the block”	90
“More police presence”	“Look in any direction, you will see a patrol car near Montage Street”	“Yes, there are around and they are visible”	“They make people feel safe and that is why people come out”	“Indeed, the cups came after the cleanup not the other way around”

Table 4. BIDs intermediate and long-term impacts directors responses (N = 16)

Questions	% Respondents in agreement	Emerging themes
Q1.What are some concerns that you are aware of from residential renters, business owners and potential homebuyers in your BID district?	93	High rents. High utility prices Lack of knowledge of city rules and regulations Fear of going out of business Fundamental infrastructure
Q2. Do you think your BID has affected residential renters, small business owners and potential home buyers?	100	Yes, definitely
Q3. Which population group do you think are more positively and negatively affected the most in your BID and why?	100	Everyone is being affected in a way Business and property owners, customers, visitors, etc.
Q4. What are your future outlooks on BIDs?	NA	If BIDs stay focused on their mission our communities will be better NYC will continue to develop BIDs BIDs improve marketing strategies BIDs allow us to figure out what streets are going to look like in the future

Figure 2. The process of neighborhood transformation through BIDs