Monica Ray joined Uwe Brandes, faculty director of Georgetown SCS's Master's in Urban & Regional Planning program, and Richard Bradley, national leader in place management, for a conversation on the creation of the Soul of the City Business Improvement District (BID); a landmark achievement for Congress Heights and Ward 8 in Washington, D.C.

The discussion traces more than a decade of work by community leaders, residents, business owners, and partners to build a BID rooted in the neighborhood's own needs and aspirations. Monica and her fellow panelists explore how BIDs serve as tools for community development and placemaking, the distinct challenges of forming a BID in a historically underinvested area, and what the Soul of the City BID's success could mean for revitalization efforts in communities nationwide.