ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates a relatively new urban revitalization model that policy entrepreneurs have deliberately transferred, both intra- and internationally. It purposes the policy transfer literature provides a framework for examining the relationship between three important factors: urban revitalization policy, the entrepreneurs who actively promote and deter policy adoption, and the setting where these policies are applied. The chapter shows that the business improvement district (BID) is a model of urban revitalization that policy entrepreneurs—such as business owners, local governments, public agencies, Nongovernmental organizations, private consultancy firms, international organizations, and researchers—deliberately transferred within and across national contexts. It discusses the origins of the BID model, its successful transfer and emergence in numerous nations, and the types of conditions that may prevent policy transfer. In contrast, policy entrepreneurs in South Africa started collecting information by conducting on-site visits and studying international practices in a handful of American and British cities.
