The purpose of The BIA Zone is to showcase Canada's best local economic development export, the business improvement area concept. Communities across Canada have adopted Business Improvement Area practices to transform downtown and increasingly suburban areas into revived neighbourhoods where people can live, work, shop and have fun. Despite the fact that Canada is the birthplace of the BIA concept, little research has been done on their impact on the local economy in Canada. With funding from Infrastructure Canada, and support from our partners, this multi-disciplinary and collaborative research project will focus on the local economic infrastructure of BIAs in the City of Toronto.

• City of Toronto Business Improvement Area Office, Economic Development Division
• Business Improvement Areas of British Columbia
• Councillor Michael Thompson, City of Toronto - Ward 17
• MPP Brad Duguid, Province of Ontario - Scarborough Centre
• Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas
• The Junction BIA
• Uptown Business Revitalization Zone
• Wexford Heights BIA