How do we make meaningful change happen in our cities, and what kind of leadership is needed to shape places where people want to live, work and invest? 

These questions formed the basis of a lively collaborative roundtable hosted by NLA in partnership with Patricia Brown MBE, Director of Central. The event brought together leaders from London's Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), local and regional government, regeneration agencies, cultural organisations and placemaking partnerships for an exchange of ideas centred on place leadership. Patricia also invited Regina Myer, President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, to share her experience of leading one of New York City's most established place partnerships, using her perspective to spark a wider conversation about how cities steward change and deliver successful places. 

The discussion explored the ingredients needed to make change happen: effective partnerships, long-term stewardship and collaborative leadership. Drawing on experiences from both New York and London, participants reflected on how districts evolve, the organisations that shape them, and the changing relationships between public, private and civic partners. BIDs were considered as part of a wider ecosystem working together to create places that are economically successful, resilient and attractive to residents, workers and visitors alike. 

The discussion welcomed contributions from: 

This diverse mix of contributors created a broad cross-sector discussion about the future of place leadership and the partnerships required to shape successful urban districts. 

Building on the themes introduced by Patricia Brown, the conversation was sparked by insights from Regina Myer, whose experience leading the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership provided a valuable international perspective. Drawing on Downtown Brooklyn's transformation over the past two decades, Regina reflected on how collaboration, long-term stewardship and partnership working have enabled regeneration to take place despite the limited formal powers available to BIDs. Her perspective sparked a rich exchange between participants, highlighting both the similarities and differences between New York's and London's approaches to managing and developing places. 

Although the BID models in London and New York operate within different legislative frameworks, participants were able to recognise the alignment in the day-to-day challenges each city is facing. Across both cities, organisations responsible for place are increasingly expected to support neighbourhood regeneration, economic growth, sustainability and place management, despite often lacking formal statutory powers to deliver these outcomes. As Regina reflected, BIDs in New York have become "vital" organisations, but their role in regeneration has developed through necessity rather than legislation. While New York BIDs are primarily funded by property owner levies to deliver enhanced services such as street cleaning, landscaping and public safety, much of their wider planning and regeneration work relies on collaboration, advocacy and creativity rather than formal authority. These reflections resonated strongly with participants from across London's public, private and civic sectors. 

One of the strongest themes emerging from the discussion was how dramatically the landscape of place leadership has shifted over the past two decades. Originally conceived to provide additional services that enhanced already successful places, many BIDs now find themselves filling gaps left by shrinking local authority budgets. Community safety, cleanliness, maintenance and public realm management now consume significant proportions of BID resources. Several participants reflected that BIDs have, in many ways, become victims of their own success. As councils have withdrawn services under financial pressure, expectations of what BIDs should deliver have continued to grow. 

Roundtable contributors also discussed the persistent misunderstanding between renewal and regeneration. While BIDs are frequently asked to lead regeneration activity, they were never established with that statutory purpose. Instead, their role is often to convene partners, advocate for investment, and help shape delivery to enable improvements rather than undertake regeneration directly. This prompted a broader conversation about being clear where BID responsibilities begin and end, while recognising the complementary roles of local authorities, developers, cultural institutions and other partners in delivering successful places. 

Throughout the discussion, collaboration emerged as the defining characteristic of successful place leadership. Regina described how the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership works closely with city planning departments, property owners, educational institutions and cultural organisations to help move projects forward, even where formal powers sit elsewhere. Similarly, participants reflected that successful neighbourhoods depend on bringing together local authorities, businesses, developers, cultural institutions, universities and communities around a shared vision. While governance structures differ, effective placemaking is rarely delivered by a single organisation. Instead, it relies on trusted partnerships capable of maintaining momentum over many years. 

The conversation also explored how rapidly changing urban conditions are reshaping priorities. Downtown Brooklyn has undergone an extraordinary transformation, growing from around 1,000 homes two decades ago to more than 28,000 residential units today. Alongside significant university expansion and cultural investment, the district is now adapting to new challenges including high office vacancy rates, changing retail patterns and shifting expectations from a growing residential population. Many recognised similar trends across London, where city centres increasingly need to balance the needs of workers, residents, visitors and businesses. Questions around mobility, public realm, outdoor dining, street trading and the changing use of streets illustrated how place management has become significantly more complex than when many BIDs were first established. 

Roundtable contributors also considered whether today's BID model would look the same if it were being created from scratch. Reflections ranged from the UK's occupier-led system and the missed opportunity to establish stronger property-owner models, to the growing diversity of BID structures across the country. Several noted that while BIDs have become increasingly influential locally, there remains inconsistency in how they are understood across both the public and private sectors. Better national coordination, stronger advocacy and greater clarity around the sector's role could all help unlock future opportunities. There was also discussion around whether greater devolution and renewed national interest in place-based growth could create space for BIDs to play a more strategic role in the years ahead. 

The discussion closed on an optimistic note. Despite financial pressures, changing political leadership and increasingly complex urban challenges, participants agreed that the importance of place has never been greater. Whether through local authorities, BIDs, cultural organisations or other place-based partnerships, successful districts depend on organisations that can convene partners, sustain long-term collaboration and respond to changing local needs. 

The roundtable demonstrated that while London's and New York's governance models differ, both are grappling with the same fundamental challenge: how to create places that are resilient, inclusive and economically successful in a rapidly changing urban landscape. Rather than offering definitive answers, Regina Myer's reflections and the discussion reinforced the value of learning across cities and sectors, recognising that successful places are built through collaboration as much as they are through formal powers.