Knowledge Center

Leadership Development

Leadership is the ability to positively influence those over whom we have no authority. Successful urban place management begins with successful leadership that inspires trust, inclusivity and vision. The place manager inspires a culture of leadership and vision that permeates the organization. In addition, they assume a leadership role in creating a long-term strategic plan for a managed place while building an internal team focused on implementing and promoting the mission, values and objectives of that plan. The urban place manager must build meaningful relationships with various stakeholders including, but not limited to, board members, property owners, nonprofit partners, government officials, residents and business owners. Place managers are proactive, industrious and creative community leaders.

Calgary BIAs Professional Development Fund

September 28, 2020 Best Practice

We set aside $30,000 of $80,000 that had accumulated in our accounts to provide grants up to $2,000 each year to the Executive Directors of smaller and newer BIAs in Calgary who do not have professional development funds in their budgets or to any Executive Directors who needed professional development funds.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

P.U.M.A.’s Global Trends Report: Pandemic July 2020 Update

September 24, 2020 Publication

In late 2019, P.U.M.A. and IDA jointly released the 2020 Global Trends Report highlighting opportunities arising from converging shifts in demographics, lifestyles and a new category, “disruptive forces,” that are shaping our cities. Little did we know that months later we’d be in the midst of the disruptive events of our lifetimes – the pandemic that has wreaked havoc on public health and economies, and the American protests for racial justice that could accelerate dramatic social

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Top Issues Council: Municipal Partnerships – A Toolkit for Municipal & Urban Place Management Organization Relationships

September 24, 2020 Publication

The Municipal Partnerships Top Issues Council examined the fundamental nature of working relationships between UPMOs and governments to identify the best practices for producing the most beneficial and enterprising partnerships. The report is a useful toolkit for understanding the scope and breadth of these relationships, including case studies and sample agreements from organizations around the globe.

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Curb Your Enthusiasm: It’s Not Just About Cars Anymore

May 27, 2020 Webinar

The advent of smart and shared transportation systems, spanning from automated shuttles to electric scooters, is rapidly changing mobility in our downtowns. From creating loading zones for rideshare pick-ups, finding space for expanded bike share docks, and defining micro-mobility parking zones, to re-purposing travel lanes, designing shared spaces, managing increased shipping + deliveries, and removing parking requirements, downtowns across the country are handling new challenges creatively.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Eliminating Redundancy: Interlocal Agreements to Define Roles

May 21, 2020 Case Study

Downtown El Paso’s interlocal agreement, which is similar in content and format to the agreements signed between different public agencies, is renegotiated every five years, providing an opportunity to re-assess existing programs or address new problems. The final document is what Downtown El Paso Executive Director Joe Gudenrath calls “a give and take” between the City’s and the BID’s priorities for downtown on projects ranging from community outreach and marketing to sanitation.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Standard Contract Negotiation with the City

May 20, 2020 Case Study

In 2014, the NYC BID Association, Small Business Services and City Law department produced a uniform contract agreement, which can be tailored to specific conditions via the exhibits tied to the contract. Beyond creating standardized language for contracting with the City of New York, the process also created greater cohesion among BIDs with differing budgets and resources as they worked together. By 2020, all 76 BIDs in the Association will be on the new standard contract.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Quality of Life Building Blocks Worksheet

May 19, 2020 Case Study

The following table offers a side-by-side comparison of Santa Ana’s and Delray Beach’s downtown nightlife economies. By examining various quality of life building blocks and how they affect issues and solutions in these two emerging downtown nighttime economies, you will see how every district faces different challenges and devises different solutions. Using these examples as a guide, you can then use the questions provided to dissect your own emerging nighttime economy.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Economic Development 201 for Downtown Organizations

March 09, 2020 Presentation

A presentation building on the fundamentals of downtown economic development, focusing on how to build outside partnerships and curate funding resources.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Vitality Defined

November 15, 2019 Presentation

This session will present the first iteration of the IDA Vitality Index, powered by Stantec. The Index will be an interactive, online tool to benchmark the vitality of downtowns across the U.S. It includes select indicators of economy, inclusion and vibrancy to enable urban place managers to objectively quantify and benchmark their district’s strengths and weaknesses against peer cities. During the session, panelists will share the Index and discuss how districts can use this data.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!

Setting the National Agenda for Cities

November 15, 2019 Presentation

Discuss the big-picture policy issues impacting cities, and the role of place management organizations in advocating for thoughtful solutions. Case studies from different countries involved in collective advocacy and organizing will review the national climate in their respective places, and open the floor for a discussion about key policy goals and priorities. This session will be a continuation of conversations from the IDA Ideas Forum and the Canadian National Policy Summit.

We’d love for you to see this member-only resource to help make a difference in your district. Make sure you are logged in or join IDA to learn more about how members get sh*t done!