In the context of globalization, regionalization, and urbanization, business improvement districts (BIDs) emerge on the urban landscape as a public-private mechanism of place management across networks. This article raises the question: In a public-private partnership model that is globalizing, how does the local context shape BID performance management across networks? In search of an answer, this paper uses the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s urban entrepreneurial governance framework to examine a sociospatial reconfiguration of space in which BIDs are often nestled and within which they manage network structures for service delivery while implementing urban revitalization policy. The article explores the BID model as a microcosmic example of how performance management may emerge through meta-sector network management geared toward creating a globally competitive locale. In so doing, the article draws on qualitative research data from the Newark Downtown District in New Jersey and the Central City Improvement District in Cape Town, (Western Cape, South Africa). Findings from the cross-national triangulated descriptive case study suggest that Newark Downtown District’s collaborative network management for capital improvements generates performance-based budgeting, and in Cape Town, collaborative network management facilitates opportunity for transformative social development.
