Connected to a Twin

Release Date: Tuesday, January 31st 2012

Upcoming Victoria BID project.

The DowntownDC BID and the Victoria BID in London, England, are the first two BIDs to forge a twinning agreement across national borders. Typically, towns and cities engage in twinning, cooperative agreements between entities in distinct geographic and political areas to promote cultural or business ties, or both. Both BIDs aim to broaden mutual understanding and develop beneficial ties between the districts by sharing ideas, information and common cultural, community and commercial interests and enhancing knowledge in areas such as business development, security, employment and the environment.

“This has never been done before, but it makes perfect sense,” said Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the DowntownDC BID. “Some of the issues that they have in London, such as homelessness, addressing sustainability concerns and planning for huge development projects—CityCenterDC here and the Victoria Transport Interchange there—mirror those that we face as well. This agreement is just another extension of what we do—finding productive partnerships to advance dialogues that produce fresh perspectives and new ideas.”

The Victoria BID is only a year old, but its business mix and geographical make up is comparable to that of the DowntownDC BID, which turns 15 this year. Both have large numbers of government offices and buildings and attract tourists galore.

Bradley visited the Victoria BID last fall, and a four to six person delegation from London—including Ruth Duston, the Victoria BID’s chief executive officer—will arrive in DC on April 24 and stay until April 27, in time to catch the final week of this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival. Some BID members will continue on to Philadelphia and New York to learn more about their clean and safe programs, which are similar to the DowntownDC BID's SAM Program.

“We’re looking forward to their visit and will make sure that they see as much of Downtown, and learn as much about Downtown, as possible,” said Bradley. “That’s what twinning is all about.”