According to a 2000 University of Washington marketing survey among young adults in Seattle, one of the primary deterrents to visiting the Chinatown-International District is what people perceive as unsanitary conditions. The survey indicated that the street and sidewalk conditions often turn people off and leave an impression of overall dirtiness. However, the survey also showed that people who did visit were pleased by the service and cleanliness that they encountered at the businesses individually.

"Our maintenance program focuses on education, clean up and disposal management."

Education - The CIDBIA works with business owners to proactively generate good garbage disposal and recycling practices among employees. We hope through our one on one contact with employees that the fundamentals of recycling and responsible disposal will bear fruit for a lifetime. The overall popularity of recycling programs among the business community is one symbol of our success. We believe that the continuation of cooperative education measures will ensure future manageability and cleanliness.

Clean Up - The Chinatown-International District has traditionally been a pedestrian friendly area. As such, our neighborhood faces the challenge of managing the sidewalk and alleyways, keeping litter and trash at bay. In order to manage these areas the CIDBIA has a small sanitation staff that works the neighborhood in a quadrant system. The staff is also responsible for pressure washing alleyways and sidewalks on a need basis.

Graffiti Removal - In addition to these cleaning efforts in common areas, our staff also assists in graffiti removal from private property. Our neighborhood is a national historic district with a large number of preserved and frail brick buildings. Under the historic district regulations, property owners cannot alter the exterior of historic masonry. In the case of graffiti, they are not allowed to simply paint it out. In addition, businesses are not allowed to apply an anti-graffiti coating. The CIDBIA method for graffiti removal is low-pressure water washing with a special biodegradable detergent. In order to prevent graffiti tagging high on buildings, the CIDBIA has designed and installed a unique anti-graffiti barrier on fire escapes throughout the district, eliminating access from street level, while maintaining egress to the tenants inside the building. The CIDBIA records and maintains a data inventory, including pictures of graffiti in the area, which has helped build court cases of graffiti offenders in the past. The CIDBIA has also supervised community service programs performed by graffiti offenders.