The Union Square Partnership is a community-based, nonprofit organization working to foster the best possible metropolitan neighborhood for its residents, businesses, property owners and employers. We are comprised of a Local Development Corporation (LDC) and New York City's first Business Improvement District (BID), two organizations that have served as catalysts behind the area's transformation.

In 1976, Union Square was a neighborhood in decline. In an effort to halt the deterioration and lay the groundwork for the area's economic revival, a coalition of local business, community and government interests was formed, leading to the establishment of the LDC. The LDC successfully lobbied the City to create its first BID in 1984. Working together for over 20 years, the LDC and BID formally joined together under one name - Union Square Partnership - in 2003.

USP provides the Union Square community with a variety of programs and services: facilitating ongoing development by acting as a liaison among residents, business and government leaders; advocating for neighborhood enhancements; offering support to business owners and spearheading long-term area improvements. The BID's sanitation and security services have played significant roles in maintaining and improving the neighborhood's exceptional quality of life.

Our marketing efforts have strengthened Union Square's identity. To foster connections, we produce free community events, educational seminars and networking receptions. Other promotional initiatives, like our monthly Email Blast, provide the public with local news while showcasing Union Square's many resources.

USP also operates an award-winning Education Program in Washington Irving High School, the neighborhood's largest public high school. We work with a broad spectrum of local businesses, non-profit organizations and academic institutions to develop programs and secure resources for the students.

Today, Union Square is a thriving hub of culture, business, education and health care. Throughout the city and beyond, we are known as "New York's Best Tasting Neighborhood," and are celebrated for the Greenmarket, innovative off-Broadway theaters, destination retailers, small creative businesses and excellent universities and hospitals, all located near one of the city's most popular parks.  USP has played a lead role in the area's development and will continue to seek out ways to improve our reenergized neighborhood.