Cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Zurich are cultivating their nocturnal economy by hiring “night mayors” to promote nightlife and reduce noise. London is also considering four-hour licenses to manage its nighttime economy. Nightlife is seen as an important aspect of attracting young, creative, and enterprising people to a city.
Big cities around the world don’t just turn off their lights and lock their doors after the evening news. Fueled by a young population, cities like Amsterdam, Paris and Zurich keep dancing, drinking and playing music well into the night, in a world teeming with nightclubs, bars and cafés. Many European cities are now seizing the opportunity to cultivate the nocturnal economy by hiring so-called “night mayors”, whose job is not only to promote the city’s nightlife but also to reduce the boozy hubbub and reassure nervous residents and public officials that things are under control. Mirik Milan is a former club promoter who was elected the first “night mayor” of Amsterdam in 2014 through an online poll. One of the main aspects of his job is to mingle with the clubbers and tourists who frequent the city’s main entertainment district, known as the Rembrandtplein, and gently remind everyone of the rules: “Be classy, think of the neighbors, drink inside, use a toilet. ”So far, he has managed to ensure that Rembrantplein remains a profitable entertainment district with a certain decorum.
Cities that never sleep:
The idea is catching on. In March 2016, then Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced plans for a nightly commission to see how London could better manage its lucrative nighttime economy.
Four-hour licenses are also being studied, instead of having, say, a midnight license that dumps hundreds of revelers onto the street, all at once. The idea is that with a round-the-clock license, fewer restless crowds gather and there is less noise to disturb the neighbours.
“Night people are typically young, educated, creative, enterprising: people you want in your city and who work in the creative industries and startups you want,” Milan explains. “If places like Berlin have flourished, it’s not just because of low rents. It is because they are the capitals of nightlife”.
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