"A Complex but Contradictory Reality"

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are a growing model of urban governance in cities. BIDs collect levies from businesses located in a delineated spatial area and use those funds to provide public realm improvements within that district. This is primarily motivated by the economic potential that better surroundings can bring to businesses-safer, cleaner, and more vibrant places inevitably increase footfall. Since the model was adopted two decades ago in the UK, BIDs have not only become more pervasive, but they are also becoming increasingly concerned with going beyond business and integrating community engagement. As BIDs start to adopt strategies from placemaking, they face the tension and criticism of being private, non-governmental entities that perform services that could otherwise be provided by the government. Participatory strategies like co-production might be the best path for mitigating conflicts of interest. This study then poses the question: how do BIDs utilize co-production in the process of creative placemaking? This question was answered using the Culture Mile BID in London as a case study for qualitative research. The presence of cultural institutions such as the Barbican and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama within its footprint is being leveraged by the BID, utilizing arts and culture as a catalyst for public realm improvements while also branding itself as an artistic destination. Eight interviews were conducted with members from three of the BID's identified key stakeholders-cultural organizations, local authorities, and residents; together with a review of Culture Mile BID's reports. It was found that while BIDs perform co-production by including stakeholders in its board and steering groups, integrating their voice into decision making is not a simple process. While it supports and enables creative placemaking projects, projects initiated by the BID can still be improved so stakeholders feel a deeper connection to these arts and cultural interventions. More broadly, this research illustrates that BIDs must responsibly conduct their internal governance systems, with guardrails from government and its stakeholders, to ensure a balance of interests between these actors.