BIDs and Pie(a)ces

While BIDs don't strike us as a major player in corporate sports events, they do play a role in the strengthening of the inner cities against sub- and extra-urban competition.
As we argued elsewhere (Sambale, 2003; Eick, 2006) BIDs increasingly employ nonprofits for peace keeping functions in inner cities in the US. The growing attention they receive in Germany as a means to provide safe and clean public spaces with private revenues lets me assume we will hear more of them after the World Cup.
If BIDs are going to define and thereby control public spaces the use value of these spaces will suffer considerably. Since I do not believe in doom-saying, my presentation will also look on the other side of the equation, i.e.: Is there any chance of negotiating territorial compromises?

Jens Sambale is a trained political scientist and spent time in different research project after his graduation (Berlin related research, Homelessness, Labor Market). Since his graduation he worked on and off again on comparing urban processes in Berlin and Los Angeles.
He was also a member of the his home counties winning soccer team back in the days. If you do doubt this, here is proof: Newspaper article
Recent publications: With Volker Eick: Das Berliner Ghetto - ein Missverständnis, 2005 (available here or buy the booklet at saloneonline.de); with Volker Eick: Wohnungsbaugesellschaften als beschäftigungspolitische Akteure?  2005 (abstracts are here); with Volker Eick, Britta Grell and Margit Mayer: Nonprofit-Organisationen und die Transformation lokaler Beschäftigungspolitik, 2004 (a sample chapter is available here, reviews are here).
Older publications are here.

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