Category: Site News

Take part in the web survey designed to research the intersections between sexual violence, nightlife environments (e.g. party spaces, going out at night) and drug use in Europe.

The aim of the study is to increase knowledge about sexism and the rape culture in different European regions, and inform policies and practices in nightlife.

Take the survey here

And follow the organisation on socials

The rapid testing will enable large-scale gatherings and events to be held in a COVID-secure environment.

Swallow Events, which is behind the kit, says it’s the first company to offer a full rapid testing screening service facility to detect COVID-19 to event organisers throughout the UK and the rest of the world. The new service offers Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-approved 15-minute turn-around pop-up testing facilities which can be conducted by government-approved healthcare professionals on any size and scale.

Read the full article on DJ Mag

If you missed our Meet the Authors call for the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan Chapter 3: Innovating for 24-hour cities, you can catch some of the key takeaways below.

Download the full chapter here.

Introductory remarks 

Michael Fichman (PennPraxis/University of Pennsylvania), GNRP editor and coordinator 

Alistair Turnham (MAKE Associates), chapter 3 co-lead

• Nighttime culture doesn’t exist in isolation. We must look at all intersecting fields and services to develop a holistic plan for cities at night.

• During this pandemic we can utilise 24 hour time to create more space

• The chapter’s ideas are relevant now, but should also be applied in the long term, to create more resilient and dynamic cities.

“Light is the glue of the night”

– Leni Schwendinger (International Nighttime Design Initiative), Co-led the research and management the Global Nightime Recovery Plan’s third chapter.

• “We think of the night as a time, but actually the night is a place. It’s a canvas for us to design. 

• In doing so we must consider those of us who must be out at night – night workers or essential workers – as well as those who choose to go to the night for inspiration.

• Light is the glue of the night. It creates legible pathways and destinations, and must be integrated into all areas of urban design.

• Light can be used as malleable infrastructure, a flexible medium which can attract, create focus areas, and establish boundaries or separation – something especially necessary during Covid. 

• Light is an infrastructure of modernisation, and as such not available everywhere. Chapter looks at Lagos, Nigeria as a case study. Who has their world lit and who doesn’t? And for what purpose – safety, entertainment or function?”

Carlos F Pardo (New Urban Mobility Alliance), contributor to the third chapter.

• “In cities all over the world the first transport services that were cut when the pandemic hit were the night services.

• Night workers rely heavily on public transport. They cannot change when they travel or simply choose not to. They need a transport service they can trust to get them somewhere safely and on time, otherwise they could be mugged, killed, or lose their employment.

• Then there are those who travel at night by choice, and cities must also cater for their trips.  

• Most cities are not designed for either of these transport users. Transport is traditionally planned around the work schedule of a fully-abled 35 year old male of middle income.”

“Less enforcement, and more collaboration between police and community“

Dimitrios (Jim) Mastoras (Nightlife Safety and Policing Consultant), interviewee

• “Police often have an adversarial relationship with nightlife and hospitality venues, meaning operators have no incentive to ask for help, for fear it will be used against them. 

• In Arlington County we changed this culture over time through a proactive alliance policing model, which stopped focusing on arrests, and empowered operators to improve their practices.

• There were significant drops in alcohol related harm and violence as a result.

• Resorting to enforcement practices is no longer good enough. We need a collaborative perspective on issues, to come up with solutions that are mutually beneficial.”

“How do we interact with the drag racing scene when there are no venues or permanent spaces, no boss or central management – simply a community? Detroit is wrestling with this issue now.”

Cornelius Harris (Underground Resistance; Detroit Berlin Connection), interviewee

• Nightlife means something different in every city. A big feature of Detroit underground culture is illegal drag racing, where the city’s music and car cultures collide. 

• We should help people express themselves in this non-traditional way, and find spaces for them to do so safely, instead of criminalising their behaviour.

• People have existing ideas about who the night belongs to. A mental shift must come to acknowledge there are things of value outside the scope of our preconceived notions of the night. 

• Address the dynamic between police and community. Police could be part of the solution, by being proactive and interactive out in the community, rather than waiting for the worst to happen before reacting. 

How to co-exist – a broader notion of planning cities at night 

Andreina Seijas (Harvard University), GNRP editor and coordinator

• We need to bring together state and non state actors, and strengthen local alliances to cope with challenges of coexisting, and allow for decriminalization of certain activities and more flexibility of regulations. 

• Most nighttime regulations are focused on distribution of alcohol users and licensing. We need to find a way in which we can diversify sources of revenue and distribution of activities.

• As the field of nightlife studies grows around the world we are introduced to new perspectives – incorporating these will lead to a broader notion of planning for cities at night.

Read about global updates from the call here

Thank you to all who participated, we look forward to seeing you on the next call.

Japan – Kana Ito

• There was no official lockdown, but nightlife businesses were forced to close. Government financial support was available. 
• 50-80% of customers back now, depending on location. Fewer customers in cbd area because risk of infection higher there. 
• We have been nearing normal nightlife operation since October, with additional precautions like staff in masks, temperature checks and detail collection on entry. 
• There is a possible threat of a third wave on the horizon

India – Varun Patra 

• The crisis has shown India’s problems, and not left our leaders anywhere to hide. 
• Hospitality has reopened in many cities, but at very low capacity – around 30%. Performance venues have also recently opened, seated only. 
• India has always been a bit lazy in how our cities and events are run. This is the chance for us to pilot new systems and implement essential safety protocols.
• Before the pandemic there was little to no al fresco dining in India. Bangalore has piloted this recently and other cities are likely to follow. 
• There has been no financial support for nightlife. 
• Livestreaming is already a tired format. We are exploring decentralized events – a hybrid model of online and offline, finding creative ways to bring alive our districts. 

Mexico – Adelina Lobo 

• There has been no lockdown for many months despite rising cases. 
• Restaurants are running but live music and stadium events are close. 
• Covid parties – where people deliberately get together in order to infect themselves – are a problem. 
• Private parties in general have become a huge issue for the government. Control is increasingly given over to criminals. 

New York City – Jose Soegaard

• Cases are rising again.
• Indoor seating is at 25% capacity only. Alcohol consumption must be with food, and we have a midnight curfew. 
• Since the beginning, all ticketed performances and events have been banned. Legislation currently in congress (with bipartisan support) to give grants to performance businesses of up to 12million to help them survive the next few months. 
• There has been an increase in outdoor activity thanks to an effective outdoor seating program which more than 10k bars and restaurants took advantage of. Happily, this program is now going to be permanent. 

The intersection between urban planning and health particularly mental health and culture is a rich conversation to unbundle.

Talented musician, artist, academic and urban planner Michael Fichman talked to a major US healthcare channel PopHealth Week about the mental health crisis in nightlife industries and how accountable, safe practices and government funding are important for saving nightlife businesses and workers.

Michael is a City Planner with experience in numerous forms of quantitative and qualitative research. He has consulting and research experience in geospatial analysis, predictive modeling, environmental planning, affordable housing development, transportation economics, strategic planning and surveying.

Listen back here

Ticketmaster has unveiled its strategy around post-pandemic fan safety. It has three components:

1. The Ticketmaster ticket app
2. Third party health information
3. Vaccine distribution providers
   
   Read more about it in Billboard

UK journalist and film-maker Ed Gillett is working on a new book titled “Party Lines” that will be released in 2023 by Picador books.

Ed’s work treats dance music as not merely a musical or cultural phenomenon, but a unique lens through which to re-examine Britain’s social and political history

“Persuasive and passionate in its argument that the the regulation of dance culture in the UK is also a history of government-sanctioned systemic prejudice, and that the simple act of going out and dancing in this country has been for many decades an inherently politicised act.”

Read the full article on The Bookseller here

“It may not feel like it yet but – somewhere amidst the shock and shutdowns and general turmoil of 2020 – Sydney is proving itself to be a success story in the power of sustained nightlife advocacy.”

For our Nighttime features Jordan Rahlia speaks with Tyson Koh from Keep Sydney Open Party, Emily Collins MusicNSW and Libby Harris from City of Sydney on the key role advocacy has played in turning Sydney’s nightlife fortunes around.

Read the full article here

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed human mobility patterns, necessitating epidemiological models which capture the effects of changes in mobility on virus spread.

COVID-19 Mobility Network Modelling have launched a paper and model that tracks the spreading of Covid- 19.

The model predicts that a small fraction of “superspreader” locations account for a large majority of infections, and that restricting maximum occupancy at each location is more effective than uniformly reducing occupancy. 

The paper introduces a metapopulation SEIR model that integrates fine-grained, dynamic mobility networks to simulate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in 10 of the largest US metropolitan statistical areas. Derived from cell phone data, their mobility networks map the hourly movements of 98 million people from neighborhoods (census block groups, or CBGs) to points of interest (POIs) such as restaurants and religious establishments, connecting 57k CBGs to 553k POIs with 5.4 billion hourly edges.

The model show’s that by integrating these networks, a relatively simple SEIR model can accurately fit the real case trajectory, despite substantial changes in population behavior over time.

The model predicts that a small minority of “superspreader” POIs account for a large majority of infections and that restricting maximum occupancy at each POI is more effective than uniformly reducing mobility. The model also correctly predicts higher infection rates among disadvantaged racial and socioeconomic groups solely from differences in mobility: highlighting that disadvantaged groups have not been able to reduce mobility as sharply, and that the POIs they visit are more crowded and therefore higher-risk. 

Read the full paper here

Visit the COVID-19 MOBILITY NETWORK MODELING website here

In reforms to personal laws, the United Arab Emirates has ended lenient punishments for so-called “honour” killings, lifted a ban on unmarried couples living together and decriminalised alcohol.

Although alcohol is available for sale in restaurants and bars in Emirati cities, individuals needed a licence to buy booze or keep it in their homes. The new laws would apparently allow Muslims, who have not been able to get licences, to drink alcoholic beverages freely.

Read the full article in the Guardian.