BRV emerged from the work led by Mr. Biederman in New York, where his complex of three privately financed redevelopment groups solved the numerous problems of midtown Manhattan’s public realm from 1989 through today. Crime in his districts was cut by 75% (and eliminated entirely in one formerly troubled park), street litter disappeared as an eyesore, all traces of graffiti were removed, $75 million of capital improvements were built on Midtown’s sidewalks and parks (paid for with A-rated bonds floated by the districts), thousands of homeless persons were provided with food, lodging, and job counseling off the streets, and millions of tourists were assisted each year in finding attractions and retail offerings.
In addition, Mr. Biederman’s districts paid attention to details: retail storefront design, newspaper vending boxes, hanging flower baskets and hundreds of trees in lushly planted tree pits, and pedestrian lighting were all installed and/or improved enormously. The results of this neighborhood improvement effort have been tangible: retail and office rents way up, vacancies way down, and a continuing “buzz” that leads to further improvement. These upgrades are documented in extensive press coverage and a recent Ernst & Young study.
BRV extended these efforts to other cities, on a consulting basis. Recently, the company designed and found funds for a new park in Pittsburgh (next to the campuses of Carnegie-Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh) and designed the layout and management program for two key plazas in downtown Baltimore for the Mayor and the downtown manager, as well as Bayfront Park in Miami. Also recently, BRV designed and created management programs for the chief parks in downtown Atlanta and downtown Newark, as well as a new park in downtown Dallas. In addition to these public space efforts, BRV is currently managing two self-financing neighborhood redevelopment projects, one in downtown Newark and the other in the fashionable southwest Chelsea neighborhood in New York.
