Metrics of success: Measuring the effectiveness of BIDs and downtown district organisations

Abstract

Business improvement district (BID) research has historically been light on measuring organisation success and effectiveness. Many authors have focused on describing the novelty of BID programmes, as well as chronicling the evolution and expansion of BIDs around the globe. Some works offer critiques of the philosophy of BIDs, casting them as shadow governments, free to pursue undemocratic principles. Only a limited number of researchers have tackled the question of how to measure success and effectiveness of BIDs. This paper suggests that for most BIDs there will be no single metric of success. Rather, BIDs represent the amalgam of multiple stakeholder groups, each with different sets of success preferences. Using Ithaca, New York as a case example, the author details a survey of stakeholder groups in Ithaca that documents a broad array of success metrics. It is recommended that researchers as well as practitioners seek to utilise a scorecard/dashboard of the various key metrics that are deemed most important by the key stakeholder groups represented in a downtown district as a more accurate and comprehensive methodology for assessing BID success and effectiveness.