Urban life doesn't stop when the sun goes down
Life in cities continues even after dark. The night time economy is a central part of urban life and livelihoods and one that is often forgotten by policymakers and scholars alike. Yet this world matters, and not just a little: New York’s nightlife accounts for US$29 billion of economic activity annually and 250,000 jobs. More than one-fifth of Tokyo’s workforce is doing night shifts. One third of everyone employed in London, 1.6 million people, work at night. One third of transactions in Hong Kong happen after hours. Those who work night shifts face more hazardous and stressful labour conditions than their daytime counterparts.
Managing Cities After Dark aims to bring the night time economy 'out of the shadows', understanding how the night time is governed in and by cities around the world and how it could be done more inclusively - thinking not only of party goers but also of night shift workers. The project builds both on research into night time governance by the Centre as well as the Centre's Studio N Graduate Program run through the Melbourne School of Design, working in collaboration with night time colleagues at Arup and the City of Melbourne, and overseas in the UK and US.
Outputs
Acuto, M., & Seijas, A. (2021). Managing Cities at Night: A Practitioner Guide to the Urban Governance of the Night-Time Economy. Policy Press.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Seijas, A. (Hosts) 2021. Lockdown Nights, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 2 April 2021, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Acuto, M. (Hosts) 2021. Sleeping, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 25 March 2021, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Acuto, M. (Hosts) 2021. Right to the Night, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 19 March 2021, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Acuto, M. (Hosts) 2021. Night Shift, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 12 March 2021, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Seijas, A. (Hosts) 2021. Having Night Mayors, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 5 March 2021, Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. (Producer) Bassett, S. & Seijas, A. (Hosts) 2021. Into the Night, Cities After Dark series, Connected Cities podcast, 27 February 2021. Connected Cities Lab, University of Melbourne.
Murray, K. Rogers, D. & Acuto, M. (2020). Night-time and cities. City Road podcast.
What's happening in our cities at night? Michele Acuto on Life Matters, ABC Radio National, 9 March 2020.
Acuto, M. (2020). A not so silent night. Pursuit, University of Melbourne.
Acuto, M. (2019). We need a science of the night. Nature, 576(7787), 339.
Project Team
Michele Acuto, Centre Director
Shelby Bassett, Research Assistant in Urban Policy
Andreina Seijas, Visiting Fellow
Tim Hunt, Industry Partner