night mayor
a prominent nightlife operator is campaigning to be the city' s new
night mayor .
the night mayor helps us understand the issues better, from all sides. it makes a real difference in amsterdam
the night mayor summit is a two - day event where night mayors, civil servants, entrepreneurs, the creative industries and research institutions connect with each other. during the entire conference there are five main themes: night time economy, public health & politics, redefining urban spaces, mobility en road to night mayor .
the output of the event will the that the participants have an clear view on how to install the role of the night mayor in their city and have a bag full of idea’s on which the newly installed night mayor could work on .
an article on thursday about new york city’s new director of night life erroneously included one european city on a list of those with similar positions, commonly known as “night mayors. ” berlin does not have a night mayor .
in 2016 the first night mayor summit will be held in amsterdam, an international conference on the economic and cultural value of ‘the night’. the conference where nighttime professionals will meet, parallel to the official mayor conference in amsterdam where the mayors of all eu capitals will gather .
horse meat disco is a popular gay club night in london. the city’s night mayor has backed campaigns to protect a number of l. g. b. t. q. venues from closure .
just before 10 p. m. on tuesday night, in front of a packed crowd at bushwick' s house of yes, mayor bill de blasio signed a law establishing the country' s first ever office of nightlife, to be headed by a yet - to - be named
night mayor .
bushwick — a very square mayor turned up at the ultra - hip house of yes tuesday night to announce the creation of the city' s office of the nightlife — headed up by a soon - to - be - appointed night mayor, or party ambassador for bars, clubs and venues across the city .
former webster hall director gerard mcnamee will turn new york into the
largest and longest running party
on earth if he' s appointed
night mayor .
amsterdam’s first politician - of - the - night wants revellers to ‘stay classy’ and local residents to be happy. as london joins the growing band of cities imitating the idea, jon henley goes out on patrol with the original night mayor
however, like amsterdam’s night mayor, ms. lamé emphasized that her role goes beyond pubs and clubs. “i realized from the beginning this is much bigger than just night life, this job is about life at night, which encompasses every aspect of life in london, ” ms. lamé said .
this week the mayor of london, boris johnson, announced plans for a “night - time commission”, a six - month assessment of how to protect and manage the city’s £66bn night - time economy which is likely to recommend the creation of a “ night - time champion ” role. berlin is considering it too, and in april, amsterdam will host the first global night mayors’ summit .
mayor bill de blasio signed the legislation at house of yes tuesday night in bushwick surrounded by marky ramone, drummer for the ramones, and jazz double - bassist ron carter .
a sign warns tourists of an extremely dangerous drug being sold as cocaine. it’s hoped the night mayor and hosts will make the city safer. photograph: peter dejong / ap
former webster hall director gerard mcnamee went to the new york city council chambers at city hall in manhattan to campaign for the
night mayor
job. (phoebe de vito )
talking to these hosts is mirik milan, the first nachtburgemeester – or night mayor – of amsterdam. his job is a tricky one: nurturing the dutch city’s ever - expanding night economy, while satisfying residents and public officials who would sometimes rather it didn’t exist .
the idea for night mayor — pitched to the city council by councilman rafael espinal, who represents parts of bushwick and east new york — comes from european cities like amsterdam, london and paris .
it’s the role of the night mayor to bridge this gap. the incumbent’s job is to manage and improve relations between night businesses, residents, and city hall. milan and his team have proved so successful in amsterdam that the concept has taken off internationally. paris, toulouse, and zurich now all have night mayors, while london and berlin are considering creating their own. within the netherlands two other cities, groningen and nijmegen, also have their own professional nocturnal managers, part of a total of 15 dutch municipalities that have some form of night mayor role .
the night as a product is more and more important for the profiling and image of cities and areas. both in the social economic and cultural area day and night are getting more intertwined .
day and night: amsterdam mayors eberhard van der laan and mirik milan. photograph: jon henley
this april, all these forces are coming together, when amsterdam hosts the world’s first ever night mayor’s summit. open to any city that’s interested in the role—it comes the day after an international conference for, uh, regular mayors—the event looks forward to a day when night mayors could one day become standard in all major cities .
for the problematic rembrandtplein, where up to 300 violent incidents were being reported every year, the night mayor and amsterdam city hall came up with a three - year pilot project inspired by the altogether more relaxed atmosphere of a music festival .
the idea quickly began spreading to other european cities. paris and toulouse, france, as well as zurich, switzerland, each created their own night mayor positions. last year, cali, colombia, became the first latin american city to get one .
the result is not just less disturbance, but a resurgence for amsterdam’s reputation as a nightlife capital. the night mayor isn’t necessarily all about getting people to party longer and louder, however. in rembrandtplein, a bar - filled square in central amsterdam, the mayor’s office has set up a project to manage and reduce street noise by introducing rules for behavior and a (very) soft enforcement service—dubbed “square hosts. ”
already, the night mayor’s office has done some good in amsterdam, often using arguments that might not occur to a standard elected official. for instance, milan has pointed out that by extending hours of business, a city can actually reduce rather than increase disturbance .
the hope with these initiatives is that they start with a night mayor focused on culture and then mature to tackle bigger issues like workers rights, transport, waste management and planning — all the necessary infrastructural elements that make working or living in a city after dark accessible .
mcnamee also says that he' s headed to europe in september to meet with amy lamé, who holds a similar position in london; clément léon r, who has the gig in paris, and mirik milan, who is the
night mayor
in amsterdam .
“the role of the director of night life will be to create a plan for cities and establishments so that they may coexist and to actively develop the cultural and monetary growth night life contributes to new york city, ” mr. espinal said .
defiant on the dance floor: l. g. b. t. q. night life in new york, 2017
the office of the
night mayor
— a preferable title, in our opinion, though we' d also accept night czar, party mayor, or the d. o. n. — is to act as a liaison between city hall and new york' s $ 10 billion nightlife industry, and to help resolve problems between venues and neighboring residents. the other purpose of this office, according to councilmember rafael espinal, will be to serve on behalf of the city’s diy venues, and to fight back against the archaic rules and arbitrary enforcement that threaten their survival .
your mayor, city council and city manager has just as much of an impact on your health as your doctor ,
say the authors of a new report .
the office of nightlife will have an estimated annual budget of $ 407, 000, including $ 37, 000 for office space, supplies and computers, as well as $ 370, 000 to pay the night mayor and an assistant director of the office, according to a financial impact statement .
the title of night mayor may sound grand, but the office itself doesn’t hold any executive power. milan is really the head of a small advisory ngo, “elected” by a combination of online votes from the public, attendees of a music festival, and a jury of five experts. equally funded by the city and night businesses, milan and night mayors like him are really go - betweens who represent nightlife to the city and its residents, and vice versa—self - defined “rebels in suits” who are nonetheless able to talk to officials on their own terms .
michele acuto, a professor of urban theory at university college london, said that night mayors are more than a ceremonial role. “the concept of a nighttime economy is longer lived than the recent trend of night mayors, ” he said. “that’s where the real value lies. it’s a sign by a city like new york or london that it is thinking strategically about the night. ”
amsterdam’s new rules of the night: ‘stay classy, think neighbours, drink inside and use a loo. ’ photograph: graeme robertson
pittsburgh got its first “nighttime economy coordinator” three years ago, around the time milan started in amsterdam. orlando fla. , recently created a “bar czar” position. fort lauderdale, fla. , apportioned $ 1. 4 million this year for a nighttime management team. and iowa city appointed its first night mayor in april .
if we have a problem at night the first thing policymakers will often do is say: ‘we can' t do it anymore. ’
the city council approved mr. espinal’s bill on august 24 to establish an office of nightlife and a 12 - member appointed nightlife advisory board. the city’s mayor, bill de blasio, will appoint someone within 60 days to head up the department, which will liaise between the city’s night life industry, its residents and government, according to the bill .
it' s going to be even better in a place as cool as new york city ,
the mayor said, as a few dozen costumed guests, and one large peacock, filed into an adjacent room for a bordello - themed poetry night .
bottom line is this will help our neighborhoods, and help our nightlife community feel supported .
as amsterdam’s first
night mayor ,
he' s been managing the after - hours economy of the netherlands capital since 2014. his job seems straightforward and imminently practical - - milan manages relationships in an effort to minimize quality - of - life complaints from residents and boost nighttime business - - yet no one else on the european continent was doing it .
to solve this problem, the night mayor suggested not less, but more time for people to go clubbing. he has helped push through the granting of 10 24 - hour licenses for nightclubs. crucially, all of them were located not in the dense city center but in thinly populated districts around amsterdam’s outer ring road. the result was a marked reduction in street noise .
this pragmatic and classically dutch notion is now being copied across europe: toulouse, zurich, paris as well as several other dutch cities have night mayors too .
“the idea, ” milan says, “was to take some of the night - time pressure off the inner city, and to bring something new to the near suburbs. ” that part has worked: de school has sold out every weekend since it opened, while its weekday and night activities are also filling fast .
we' ve reached out to the day mayor to see how he is planning to work alongside his nightlife counterpart, who he plans on appointing, and whether he’ll continue to enforce the reviled cabaret law — we’ll update accordingly .
“the night is always treated differently to the day, ” he said. “when there is a problem at night, the first reaction of city officials or police commissioners is to stop it. instead what you would do in the day is bring all the stakeholders together and try to at least make the situation a bit better. ”
addressing one hundred or so venue owners, promoters, party advocates and artists, including marky ramone, the mayor lamented the city' s past harassment of nightlife, and promised that the new office would
wield tremendous power .
the most established example that new york will look to is amsterdam’s “nachtburgemeester, ” a position established in 2003 when the dutch capital’s night life was in decline. mirik milan, 36 and a former nightclub promoter, was elected in 2012 and tasked with sustaining amsterdam’s night life while still appeasing local residents. mr. milan said one of his biggest hurdles has been convincing city officials that night life is about more than just partying. even in the famously open - minded netherlands, this has been a challenge .
in june, a spokeswoman for the mayor' s office of media and entertainment announced that the search for a nightlife ambassador was underway and that the appointee would serve as a liaison between city officials and the booming bar and club scene .
“night mayors, ” as they are commonly known, are popular in europe, where these figures are chiefly concerned with how people can have a good time after dark in their cities. london, paris and zurich all have them — and now the initiative is making its way to new york, where night life is in great need of attention .
“that’s also really driving this increased interest in night managers, ” peters says. “how do you develop and keep the creative and cultural experiences that people want in a city? ”
as milan explains, this helps refine the reactions of officials whose experience of the city after dark is limited or buried in their past. “we' re a small ngo, so we don' t have any power, but we try to influence people—to be that bridge between all the parties, ” he says. “when it comes to night culture, there' s always a lot of misunderstanding. the night is always treated differently to the day. if we have a problem at night the first thing policymakers will often do is say: ‘we can' t do it anymore. ’ they decide to ban things and end up killing an industry. our role is to explain why the night is so important. ”
do big cities need a “chinatown for night culture”? this is a concept currently being explored in amsterdam by former club promoter mirik milan. by creating special districts for after - dark businesses, the 35 - year - old milan suggests, cities like his hometown could balance many local desires for a lively night life with the wishes of others for peace and quiet .
in london, mayor sadiq khan appointed american - born british performer and comedian amy lamé as the city’s first “night czar” in november 2016. much of lamé’s work so far has been around night life entertainment, which is unsurprising given her 22 years of experience in the sector. she backed campaigns to protect a number of l. g. b. t. venues from closure, including the royal vauxhall tavern in south london and molly moggs in soho. research from university college london found that in the last ten years, london lost 58 percent of what the report defines as l. g. b. t. venues .
as envisioned by councilmember rafael espinal, the night mayor is meant to act as a liaison between city hall and new york' s $ 10 billion nightlife industry, while also serving on behalf of the city' s remaining diy venues (espinal specifically cites shea stadium' s closing as the inspiration for his bill). in recent years, at least 30 cities across the world have established similar positions, all of them based off amsterdam' s widely praised nachtburgemeester .
“cities increasingly want to be 24 - hour, ” van der laan says. “in some respects many already are, though few really cater for it. but cities also have to stay nice places for the people who work, live and sleep in them. it’s not always an easy balance to strike. the night mayor helps us understand the issues better, from all sides, and come up with innovative solutions – like 24 - hour licences. everyone benefits. it makes a real difference in amsterdam. ”
the bill will also establish a nightlife advisory board comprised of 12 relevant stakeholders, ranging from industry service workers to zoning experts. eight of those board members will be appointed by the city council speaker, four will be appointed by the mayor, and they' ll each serve a two - year term .
the instinct of city authorities everywhere when residents complain, milan says, is to “bring in a curfew, tighten regulations, shut places down, ban stuff. it’s understandable: how can you make good laws if you’re in city hall, with no real clue of what’s happening out there in the night - time? the only way is for the night economy, city hall and residents to figure out, together, how to make it work” .
assuming a city council vote goes as it’s expected, new yorkers will soon be getting their own city hall advocate for sensible nightlife policies. a bill poised to pass the council later this afternoon would give mayor de blasio two months to appoint a director of nightlife, who will oversee the newly - established office of nightlife .
opening an exhibition including twin portraits of himself and milan in a canalside art gallery earlier in the day, amsterdam’s altogether more august day mayor, eberhard van der laan, was equally enthusiastic. the nachtburgemeester, he says, was about smoothing problems, finding solutions, and helping an increasingly important part of the city’s economy grow .
amsterdam is the front runner in innovating the night and values sharing the knowledge and experiences regarding nightly matters with other cities. topics such as creative industry, art and culture, diversity, safety, human health and mobility will be discussed .
[ nightlife ] is part of the magic of new york city ,
said mayor bill de blasio, flanked by former ramones drummer marky ramone and jazz double - bassist ron carter, at the wyckoff avenue venue .
where the culture happens is essential. without the venues, the culture simply can' t exist .
we had the mayor three feet from [ councilmember ] espinal while he shouted out shea stadium and 285 kent and death by audio — places that had to operate in an underground way because of the city' s regulations ,
patrick added .
it doesn' t change everything, but it' s a good first step .
america' s first night mayor is the manifestation of a growing nightlife advocacy movement, largely driven by recent efforts to get rid of nyc' s reviled cabaret law. though de blasio didn' t mention it tuesday, a mayoral advisor threw city hall' s support behind the repeal effort during a city council hearing last week, on the condition that certain security requirements be met. between january of 2016 and april of 2017, 36 city bars and restaurants forked over around $ 40, 000 in fines to the state for allowing patrons to dance without a license, according to dnainfo .
as cities become increasingly 24 - hour and night - time economies grow in scale – the dutch dance industry alone, focused on amsterdam, is worth €600m (£470m) a year (pdf) and employs 13, 000 people full - and part - time – it is a job that needs doing. “late - night culture is a massive motor for cities’ economic wellbeing, ” says milan, who has been invited as far afield as tokyo and rio de janeiro to talk about the amsterdam approach .
in espinal' s vision, america' s first
night mayor
would help promote the interests of the mixed - use, and sometimes less - than - legal, show space .
my main motivation to push for this office is to make sure that the diy venues and the smaller venues that actually provide a hub for artists and musicians to come together and express their art are able to survive ,
espinal said in may. he noted that the shuttering of shea stadium — a beloved bushwick venue that folded in june due to increasing pressure from local authorities — was a perfect example of where the position could prove useful .
amsterdam’s 24 - hour venues may eventually usher in whole 24 - hour districts “like a chinatown for night culture, where businesses can open and close when they like, ” milan says. after 9pm in amsterdam there is nowhere to have a proper, sit - down meal .
the idea might sound ambitious, but then forward - thinking about amsterdam after dark is actually milan’s job: he’s the dutch capital’s “night mayor. ” this innovative office, unique to amsterdam when created in 2014 (as the development of a project itself begun in 2003), has helped to clear up a blind spot that many cities face. too often, public officials view their city’s nighttime existence with suspicion—as a sinister doppelgänger of its daytime form but with added sex and crime, sleep - spoiling noise, and sidewalks slicked with vomit. even liberal politicians can have little experience with this twilight zone, given that they’re often tucked up in bed by 10 p. m .
“late - night people are typically young, educated, creative, entrepreneurial – people you want in your city, and who work in the creative industries and startups you also want. if places like berlin have flourished, it’s not just because of low rents. it’s because they’re nightlife capitals. ”
ideas for easing city tensions between day and night in amsterdam – whose nightlife is one of the major attractions for the 5. 2 million tourists who visited in 2014, more than double the number in 2000 – go further than soothing residents around the city’s main nightlife hotspots of rembrandtplein and nearby leidseplein .
milan’s defense of the night is one worth listening to. the resurgence of cities such as berlin may be due in part to lower rents, but without its busy night scene, few would have expressed much interest in the city in the first place. indeed, one key argument put forward for the new 24 - hour club licenses was the regenerative effect they could have on far - flung neighborhoods. given milan’s attempts to influence amsterdam’s city hall, it’s perhaps wise that he tots up nightlife’s benefits in primarily economic terms like these—terms that other cities with strict curfews and nocturnal regulations would do well to listen to .
“i don’t want to have an occupancy issue at a bar and not have anyone able to come out until the following night when there’s no issue ,
says city manager lee r. feldman .
we need to have someone available at 1 in the morning to address the issue on the spot. ”
“if you don’t turn the lights on and force everyone to leave a club at 5am, some will leave at 3, and some at 8, ” says milan. “the night can end more naturally. it’s better for the area, nuisance - wise, and for the club, business - wise. ”
what happens when you bring a bunch of people into the city center? a lot of them want to go out at night, and other people want to sleep ,
says jim peters, president of the responsible hospitality institute (rhi), who has consulted with dozens of cities interested in the idea .
the after - hours heart of a city famed around the world for night - time excess, this 17th - century square was, until recently, often overrun. noise, violence, vomit and worse; nocturnal nuisance ugly enough for an angry, sleep - deprived neighbourhood to speak bitterly of a “4am war zone” .
i think there' s a necessity for the city, on an institutional level, to endorse the fact that nightlife is important, even if that endorsement may be by definition lip service ,
todd patrick, owner of the oft - raided market hotel, told gothamist .
the reality is this is a city with a lot of moving parts in the way regulation works, so for folks that are carrying out enforcement to see the mayor supporting us has real consequences .
new york city is about to get a new kind of don, a title once reserved for the city’s crime bosses. in a move that follows in the footsteps of a clutch of european cities, new york is to appoint a director of night life, or a don — an ambassador tasked with giving after - dark activities a more congenial reputation .
the raw figures go someway to justify the need for a night czar: london’s nighttime economy is worth an estimated £26 billion ($ 34 billion). “we ignore this at our peril, ” ms. lamé said. “we are facing an uncertain future with brexit, and we have an opportunity to really craft and create a dynamic, balanced 24 - hour london. ”
as we first reported in may, the bill is modeled after amsterdam' s nachtburgemeester, a former party promoter whose appointment has had “transformative” results, according to the economist. since then, similar
night mayors
have found success in berlin, zurich, paris, and london, each with varying mandates based on the particular needs of the city' s after - hours businesses .
“in the nighttime economy, there' s a lot of talent, ” he says. “think of all the graphic designers, party promoters, djs—all these people that use the night as a serious playground to develop their skills and in the end, have their daytime job. definitely the creative industries are really important for europe and especially for cities like amsterdam or berlin, but actually for everywhere in the world. ”
the bill is intended to help the city’s struggling music venues, in particular its smaller ones, 20 percent of which have closed in the last 15 years because of rising real estate prices, zoning pressures, noise complaints and licensing problems, according to a recent report by the mayor’s office of media and entertainment. cbgb, the east village institution where the ramones and blondie had frequently played, closed in 2006; bungalow 8 in chelsea shut down in 2009; and the venue shea stadium, an epicenter of brooklyn’s d. i. y. music scene, shuttered this year after losing its lease .
acuto said that new york is now following in the footsteps of london and amsterdam by creating a formal mechanism for operating as a 24 - hour city. “there’s a whole infrastructure for the city that goes for 24 hours, ” he said, pointing to fact that while london’s nighttime entertainment industry is estimated to employ just under 50, 000 people, its health and social care industry provides over 100, 000 jobs at night, as does the transport sector .
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this film contains scenes of nudity and / or sexuality. viewer discretion is advised .
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urltoken
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guy maddin is either certifiable, or a complete genius. in a 100 years time, they will count this very strange film maker as a genius. come join us on the beach at gimli to watch one of his films. that has to be one of the most unique things on the planet .
“i think that to really build a 24 / 7 economic system in amsterdam, we should focus on creating one 24 - hour area in the city, ” milan tells citylab. “you could have working spaces there, and a library open 24 hours a day for students. it would also be a place for food. in holland you can' t have a proper meal after 9. 30 p. m. , and when friends arrive late from out of town, all you can really offer them is fries. ”
until recently, amsterdam enforced what by continental european standards is a fairly strict curfew: nightclubs had to close by 4 a. m. on weekdays and 5 a. m. on weekends. the city often had problems with noise and disorder at the exact moment when all the clubs closed, filling narrow inner city streets with rowdy people .
“often people in nightclubs don' t want to go home at 4 a. m. —only some of them do, ” says milan. “by having free opening hours the club can decide when they want to open and close, which means that 1, 000 people aren' t suddenly thrown out on to the street at five in the morning. instead, they start leaving in a steady, manageable stream around 3 a. m. and continue until around 8 a. m. that' s better for the neighborhood noise - wise, and it’s also better for the programming of the club because then they can have more djs in and sell more tickets. ”
“every friday and saturday, we have 10 people who walk the street and try to de - escalate any problems, ” says milan. “they' re not police or security; they' re also your friend, but they’re still trying to explain to you the rules. sometimes people just aren' t aware that they have anti - social behavior, so they come out of a nightclub and don' t realize they' re shouting. just explaining to them that people live there can make a difference. ”
feargus o' sullivan is a contributing writer to citylab, covering europe. his writing focuses on housing, gentrification and social change, infrastructure, urban policy, and national cultures. he has previously contributed to the guardian, the times, the financial times, and next city, among other publications .
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“now more than ever, as we are seeing more and more music venues, bars and restaurants shutting their doors; more notably in its d. i. y. scene, the city needs to stop the bleeding of its cultural hubs, or risk becoming corporatized and homogenized, ” said rafael espinal, a new york city council member who first proposed the bill .
mr. milan’s flagship project has been the introduction of ten 24 - hour venues on the western outskirts of the city. the idea was to alleviate the pressure on the city’s heaving center and create a purpose - built nighttime district. the area contains several multidisciplinary venues, including art galleries and co - working spaces, as well as bars and clubs .
granting these establishments 24 - hour licenses means the venues can set their own operating hours, offering more flexibility for locals and tourists as well as reducing loitering on the streets. “it’s something you see happening everywhere in the world — all venues close at the same time, ” mr. milan said. “so people spill out onto the street at the same time, which of course causes a lot of problems and nuisance for people living in these areas. ”
she said that she spends much of her time working with london’s deputy mayors for policing and crime, transport, culture, planning and housing. “if you take a slice of everything they do and flip it into the dark, that is my brief, ” she said .
“new york is the city that never sleeps, but not all of those people are going to parties, ” mr. acuto said. “you can assume that the majority of them are going to a health care job. ”
nyc' s nightlife culture is an integral part of its identity, yet bureaucratic red tape, rising rents and lack of community planning has made it increasingly difficult for venues that contribute to our iconic nightlife to stay in business ,
espinal, who represents parts of bushwick, east new york, brownsville and cypress hills, said in a statement .
but as nikki brown, an organizer with the dance liberation network and the manager of brooklyn' s boiler room points out ,
it' s now up to the city to ensure that this position is not an empty gesture but an empowered ally to the creatives that drive much of the cultural relevance and economic vitality of new york .
gothamist is now part of wnyc, a nonprofit organization that relies on its members for support. you can help us by making a donation today! your contribution supports more local, new york coverage from gothamist. thank you !
contact the author of this article or email tips @ urltoken with further questions, comments or tips .
the 8 best new doughnuts to eat on national doughnut day (and the day after that... )
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for me the punk movement was tremendously important and spoke to my heart, because we were trying to sort out the world ,
de blasio said, before bragging about seeing the clash at bond' s casino in 1981 .
there was something amazing happening here in america, and first and foremost that was about the ramones .
​he continued ,
there was a time in this city' s history where these venues were not only challenged, but there was a systematic effort to undercut them. a lot of who we are as a city was undermined... ​and one of the big reasons was that it was hard to navigate the rules and restrictions that in some cases went too far .
i do feel as if there' s a general change in the air, that these things will have a lasting and measurable effect ,
said justin ahiyon, one of the owners of house of yes. the venue — a briefly shuttered
hippie - punk - squat house ,
whose parties these days skew toward circus - based erotica — is one of many spaces operating in fear of the city' s archaic rules and arbitrary enforcement, according to founder anya sapozhnikova .
it' s absolutely terrifying when you' re trying to create a safe space for people of all types to come together and dance and celebrate life, and in the back of your mind you know it could get shut down for no reason at all ,
sapozhnikova said .
to have the city in support of us is going to do incredible things .
just about everyone in attendance seemed to echo sapozhnikova' s optimism, even if some were more guarded about what sort of impact the office could have in the short term .
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the new appointee will field complaints and mediate disputes between nightlife establishments and city and state agencies, as well as residents with complaints and concerns .
the administration is in the process of interviewing candidates for the job, which is expected to be filled by the end of the year .
the office will be led by who someone who will undoubtedly be more popular than me and will wield tremendous power ,
de blasio said .
nightlife in new york city is $ 10 billion a year industry that employs 300, 000 new yorkers, according to city hall .
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bronx native gerard mcnamee, who served as webster hall' s director of operations for more than a decade before the venue was sold to a corporate partnership for $ 35 million in april, is proactively seeking the role of nightlife ambassador .
though the newly created post will be an appointed position, the 48 - year - old mcnamee paid a visit to city hall on thursday afternoon — where city officials were meeting about the new position — to ask how he might bolster his chances .
though webster hall' s 1, 500 - person capacity makes it one of downtown' s larger music venues, it had for 131 years mostly been a family - run operation that was in relatively good standing with its neighbors, thanks in part to mcnamee' s diplomatic prowess. he' s also a co - owner of the popular east village social bar on st. marks place .
but according to one insider familiar with the ambassadorship plan, being a bar owner could work against mcnamee .
the concern is that having a stake in a nightclub poses a conflict ,
according to that source .
it' s hoped that the agency will be an impartial liaison between nightlife businesses and residents .
webster hall had for 131 years mostly been a family - run operation that was in relatively good standing with its neighbors, thanks in part to mcnamee’s diplomatic prowess. (theo wargo / getty images )
i am officially announcing that i will seek the appointment for new york city' s first nightlife ambassador ,
he said in a statement .
i have my finger on the pulse of the industry... i live, eat and breathe it... i am perfectly suited for this position... i curate community and culture .
new york city will be home to the largest and longest - running party the world has ever seen ,
according to mcnamee .
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the concept caught fire in europe and is gaining relevance in large and small cities across the atlantic .
pittsburgh, pa. , got its first nighttime economy coordinator three years ago .
and now, large and small cities in the u. s. have begun to embrace the position as their downtowns have become more populated .
“this is coming into the 21st century of urban planning. it’s not all about buildings, roads, bike lanes. it’s about the socializing. it’s about what people can do in your city, ” he says. “you have to plan for people as much as you plan for buildings. ”
last week, a new york city council committee advanced a proposal to create an office of nightlife (headed by a nightlife director) and a nightlife advisory board. the proposal will be voted on by the full council on aug. 24 .
if it passes, it could help solve some of the city’s problems preserving small, independent art spaces and nightlife venues, according to rafael espinal, the councilmember who introduced the bill .
“nyc is one step closer to bringing nightlife out of the bureaucratic shadows, ” espinal said in a press release after the committee vote. “from diy venues to nightclubs, this bill accurately reflects the diversity of the nyc nightlife scene. ”
like other cities experiencing rapid neighborhood change and rising rents, new york has been struggling to keep space available for smaller, independent venues, “and [ manhattan ] has become kind of sterile [ with ] just a bunch of high rises now, ”says peters, the rhi president. london has a similar problem that' s causing the city to lose population .
of course, that involves balancing the needs of businesses with those of residents. allison harnden, pittsburgh’s current nighttime economy coordinator, says she has spent her first year on the job learning how to manage growing pains of the city’s thriving bars, restaurants and art venues .
“we had growing nightlife that, like most cities, really had no plan. it just happened, ” harnden says. “so suddenly you have neighbors feeling the noise or other kinds of disruption because systems haven’t been put in place. ”
harnden' s first order of business was to look at city codes for outdated and counterproductive laws that may be hurting the nighttime economy. she realized, for example, that the city charges an amusement tax for food and drink served in conjunction with any type of entertainment, even without tickets or a cover charge. so if a restaurant has a piano player, it would be subject to the extra tax .
“i don’t think my businesses are usually aware of all this stuff. so then i have to think about, why was that law created? does it need to be looked at again? ” she says .
a lawsuit alleges that washington, d. c. , illegally wooed
creative - class
millennials at the expense of longtime residents. others argue ,
this is not a conspiracy. this is capitalism. ”
cat goughnour is pushing several cities to give community members more say in urban design .
like many other sunbelt cities, music city is trying to figure out what kind of place it wants to be .
white residents are either moving back downtown - - or to farther - out exurbs .
land use experts question whether vacant property taxes are the right way to spur development .
t midnight on a freezing friday, amsterdam’s rembrandtplein is rammed. excited clubbers flock towards the cavernous, hi - tech pulse of escape and the glitzy club rain. all around ,
tonight, though, is calm. ten pairs of young, red - jacketed rembrandtplein hosts tour the square, chatting amiably to clubbers and drinkers, directing tourists and out - of - towners, gently reminding all of the rembrandtplein rules, prominently displayed everywhere: “stay classy, think neighbours, drink inside, use a loo. ”
milan, 35, a former club promoter, was elected in 2014 by festival - goers, club and bar owners and (in an online vote) the public. formally, the post – which emerged from projects dating back to 2003 – is as head of a small but influential non - profit foundation funded jointly by city hall and the business community .
not all cities have the same priorities. in london, gentrification and rising property prices – followed swiftly by new and deeply unhappy neighbours – have seen nearly 40% of the city’s grassroots music venues close in less than a decade .
in australia, the new south wales government’s decision to ban clubbers in sydney’s kings cross from entering venues after 1. 30am may have cut street incidents by 40% – but it also shut down 40 clubs, and saw footfall in the whole district plummet by 82% last year .
out in amsterdam - west by the a10 motorway is de school, one of the 10 trial 24 - hour venues just outside the city centre that since last year have been free to decide for themselves when they open and close .
mirik milan is promoting the concept of 24 - hour districts. photograph: graeme robertson
a sprawling former technical college that opened in january, de school now houses an airy daytime cafe, a gourmet restaurant, a gym, a concert space, an art gallery that is currently negotiating exhibitions with amsterdam’s stedelijk museum and the palais de tokyo in paris – and, in the basement, a cavernous and (at 2. 30 in the morning) heaving nightclub .
twenty - four - hour licences are also an experiment to see whether city - wide closing times, which ensure thousands of unhappy people are kicked out on to narrow, city centre streets at 4 or 6am while “minutes before they were dancing, off in another world”, may not always be a good idea .
the early success of de school and several of its fellow 24 - hour venues has revealed another truth, says kyara van loenen, its creative director. “people now are very happy to cycle 20, even 30 minutes, out of the city centre for a bigger, different, more complete experience, ” she says .
“it’s a lifestyle thing. the people coming here work hard – really hard – in the day and run or work out in the gym several times a week. at the weekend, they want to party. being able to open 24 hours a day means we can offer them something that really matches their needs, that they really want. ”
“we need a 24 - hour library, 24 - hour workspaces for students and creatives and people whose work means they’re dealing with the other side of the world. shops where you can buy tomorrow’s breakfast, or that cable you need now for that presentation you’re giving at 9am. it’s possible. ”
a little further outside the city centre, radion amsterdam, a vast former dentistry school and another 24 - hour licence holder, was hosting a 36 - hour dance party that started on friday evening and would end at 11am on sunday .
“at which point, ” says staas, one of the organisers, “the cafe opens for the sunday activities we run for local kids. it works fine – 24 - hours is how people want to live now. you know, the tickets that sold out first for this weekend were for saturday – but for entry between 7am and midday. people want to party on saturday morning. ”
“there you’ll have, like, 20, 000 people, ” says milan. “maybe two get pick - pocketed, and there’s one fight. it’s because you have easy - on, easy - off access, clear routes around the site, a programme and rules that everyone knows and understands, soft security … basically, a pleasant environment. ”
so the dutch electronic multinational philips, was persuaded to invest in some significantly more subdued, even refined lighting for the elegant townhouses that line the square, replacing garish neon.
night mayor is a 2009 short film by guy maddin , about a fictional inventor in winnipeg who uses the aurora borealis to broadcast images of canada from coast to coast in 1939 , until the canadian government shuts down his illegal project . the national film board of canada ( nfb ) , which was founded in 1939 , commissioned maddin to create a film for its 70th anniversary . in making night mayor , maddin was inspired by his experience researching the nfb 's film archives for his 2007 film , my winnipeg , stating : “ i lost myself for hours , days even , among those dreamy images , constantly finding shots and sequences i ’d have been very proud to have created myself . so i had to content myself with including them in this new film board project , and hopefully magicking together a framework that was worthy of them . ” the film 's main character uses a fictional device called the " telemelodium " to broadcast his images , which is based on the telharmonium , an early electronic musical instrument . night mayor was produced by the nfb in winnipeg and received the best experimental short award at the 2010 south by southwest festival . it premiered at the toronto international film festival . 
night mayor is a 2009 short film by guy maddin, about a fictional inventor in winnipeg who uses the aurora borealis to broadcast images of canada from coast to coast in 1939, until the canadian government shuts down his illegal project. the national film board of canada (nfb), which was founded in 1939, commissioned maddin to create a film for its 70th anniversary. in making night mayor, maddin was inspired by his experience researching the nfb's film archives for his 2007 film, my winnipeg, stating: “ i lost myself for hours, days even, among those dreamy images, constantly finding shots and sequences i ’d have been very proud to have created myself. so i had to content myself with including them in this new film board project, and hopefully magicking together a framework that was worthy of them. ” the film's main character uses a fictional device called the " telemelodium " to broadcast his images, which is based on the telharmonium, an early electronic musical instrument. night mayor was produced by the nfb in winnipeg and received the best experimental short award at the 2010 south by southwest festival. it premiered at the toronto international film festival.
night mayor is a 2009 short film by guy maddin, about a fictional inventor in winnipeg who uses the aurora borealis to broadcast images of canada from coast to coast in 1939, until the canadian government shuts down his illegal project. the national film board of canada (nfb), which was founded in 1939, commissioned maddin to create a film for its 70th anniversary. in making night mayor, maddin was inspired by his experience researching the nfb's film archives for his 2007 film, my winnipeg, stating: “ i lost myself for hours, days even, among those dreamy images, constantly finding shots and sequences i ’d have been very proud to have created myself. so i had to content myself with including them in this new film board project, and hopefully magicking together a framework that was worthy of them. ” the film's main character uses a fictional device called the " telemelodium " to broadcast his images, which is based on the telharmonium, an early electronic musical instrument. night mayor was produced by the nfb in winnipeg and received the best experimental short award at the 2010 south by southwest festival. it premiered at the toronto international film festival.