ABSTRACT
Multi-sectoral “special districts” continue to evolve and are known by many names such as: managed business districts (MBDs), business improvement districts (BIDs), business improvement authorities, special improvement districts (SIDs), downtown improvement districts, tourism districts, restaurant districts, entertainment districts, place management districts, neighborhood improvement districts (NIDs), Main Street Programs, enterprise zones, community improvement districts, central improvement districts, special assessment districts (SADs), and others. This book examines managed districts as partnerships between the public and private sectors at the community level and the profession of district management as a form of public administration uniting private–public networks; public entrepreneurship, social capital, and public service; comprehensive community development; asset management; and commercial cooperative management in the development and management of community and economic resources. The profession has been referred to as business district management, place management, downtown revitalization, citizen-driven governance, and public–private partnership (PPP) administration.
