Good practice:

Street management Amsterdam

Street managers carry out activities on behalf of a business association (e.g. a BID) with the aim of improving the economic climate in an area.
The success of a BID relies on collaboration with the street manager. Streetmanagers unburden the associations and act as a sounding board for them. It is often difficult for individual entrepreneurs to bring a broader problem in the neighborhood to the attention of the government. Streetmanagers are essential in this matter. The activities of the street managers vary from contact with entrepreneurs, administrative support, for example when applying for subsidies, to the substantive further development of the area (with ideas they bring in, contacts they enter into and agreements they make with the municipality or external partners).
BID's and business associations can apply for a subsidy from the municipality of Amsterdam for the use of street management. The municipality contributes to 50% of the costs of street management.
Street management contributes to:
- improving the economic structure;
- improving the appearance and image of the shopping area;
- improving the public space of the shopping area;
- increasing the quality of life and safety;
- strengthening the local organizational level of the entrepreneurs;
- maintaining the built-up status of the shopping area.
Without street managers, there would certainly be fewer BID’s in total and less successful BID’s in Amsterdam.

In 2020 is 700.000 euro available from the Municipality of Amsterdam

There are about 20 different street managers working in Amsterdam serving more than 50 areas. They form a network and exchange experiences. In het BID evaluation from 2018 the street managers received a very good review. Without exception the BID’s emphasize the great importance of the street manager. With the support of a street manager, an entrepreneur can focus on his company. The street manager takes a lot of work out of their hands and creates a sense of togetherness in the area.

The availability of municipal resources for hiring a street manager is necessary. Without this subsidy scheme, many business associations are expected to make less use of street management.

The added value of street management is evident for the municipality and business associations. To guarantee this, the municipality has to make subsidies available for a number of years. It is recommended to choose for co-financing. Both the business association and the municipality contribute financially, creating a joint responsibility.