Résumé
This article explores the role of the Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Southern California and their impact on the urban fabric. It aims at showing how BIDs seek to bolster their image in order to attract more capital, which entails getting rid of the “undesirables” (the homeless and other individuals perceived as problems) that tarnish the image of their public space. Drawing on two case studies in Los Angeles and in San Diego as well as several first-hand interviews, this article analyzes how they operate and their intrinsic link with the neoliberal city.