Night-time Economy Research Articles

The Impact of Angular Effects on Nighttime Economy Observations: Determining the Optimal Observation Angle of Nighttime Light Remote Sensing

The Impact of Angular Effects on Nighttime Economy Observations: Determining the Optimal Observation Angle of Nighttime Light Remote Sensing

Can digital financial inclusion promote the nighttime economy? - New evidence from Chinese counties’ nighttime lighting data and threshold model

In the post-pandemic era, the relative weakness of the economy is reflected not only in the macro data but also in the nighttime economy. Based on the threshold model and unbalanced panel data of 1772 county-level administrative units in China from 2014 to 2020, this paper deeply explores the relationship between digital inclusive finance and night economy and draws the following conclusions. (1) When digital financial inclusion exceeds certain thresholds, its beneficial influence on promoting the nighttime economy increases from 8.13% to 26.59% and 87.71%. (2) Digital financial inclusion promotes the nighttime economy by increasing employment in the secondary industry and promoting technological innovation. However, digital financial inclusion hinders the nighttime economy by reducing entrepreneurial activity in the accommodation and catering sectors. (3) Coverage breadth first inhibits, then promotes, and inhibits the nighttime economy in different intervals; the effect of usage depth and digital level on the nighttime economy in intervals shows an increasing trend. (4) In the Yangtze River Economic Belt region, digital financial inclusion initially inhibits the nighttime economy but turns into promotion as it develops; after the implementation of the rural revitalization strategy in 2017, digital financial inclusion can more positively and significantly promote the nighttime economy.

Capturing the transition of historic urban landscapes using scores from Hanoi’s ancient quarter

ABSTRACT Asian cities are exposed to dynamic changes in their historic urban landscapes (HULs). However, the ways in which to quantify the degree of landscape change to guide spatial management have remained underexplored. Taking rapidly changing Hàng Buồm Street, Hanoi, Vietnam, as case study, we developed a numerical score for HULs to capture change tendencies. From onsite surveys, we defined the intensity and speed of change in trade and façades and identified vulnerable spots by mapping the scores for 131 units in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Our results showed that superficial façade changes happened regardless of the degree of trade change, and that the intense façade and trade changes happened around junctions with heavily touristified streets. We also found that aside from conventional tourism, newly emerging nighttime economies, wellness tourism, and multifunctional complexes had more intense façade changes. Based on these findings, we propose refining current management strategies by preparing stricter guidelines to control the aforementioned highly influential trades, establishing urban design project for old street to improve management of junctions especially with heavily touristified streets, and providing detailed examples of appropriate signboards that can easily be referenced by merchants and investors.

The impact of alcohol consumption on economic growth in Thailand

The nighttime economy has always been an important part of tourism in Thailand. The alcohol industry contends that lifting alcohol restrictions will promote tourism and, consequently, generate additional income. Endogenous Growth Theory, however, emphasizes on investing in human capital, innovation, and knowledge as the most important factors that affect economic growth for a nation. Alcohol consumption incurs opportunity costs, as households lose financial resources and time that could be invested in children’s development. Relaxing control measures to promote alcohol consumption should impede economic development by diminishing the quality of human resources. The paper, therefore, aims to estimate the impact of alcohol consumption on economic growth by using 1990–2019 annual data from Thailand. By adopting Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach, the results reveal that alcohol consumption has significant and negative effects on economic growth in the long run. The statistic tests demonstrate no presence of serial correlation, heteroskedasticity, as well as, endogeneity problems. The finding has been corroborated in international studies, in which alcohol consumption contributes to substantial social and economic costs of the society.

Natural ventilation and acoustic privacy in settlement cores: a review of window technology and night-time economy planning policy

This study reviewed the potential of partially open windows to address the challenges of natural ventilation and night-time airborne noise within settlement cores. These areas, which often feature historic buildings, require sensitive interventions to balance the conservation of heritage with the need for liveable, sustainable cities. The 'night-time economy' (NTE) encompasses a diverse range of businesses, services, and events that operate beyond traditional daytime hours, such as restaurants, bars, nightclubs, entertainment venues, cultural events, and 24-hour services. Night-time noise disturbances can be detrimental to residents' health and well-being. A case study examined the solutions proposed by contemporary NTE planning policy to address night-time noise in settlement cores, particularly in instances where the expansion of NTE areas and extended trading hours are considered. No physical solution mitigation strategies for noise reduction were identified in the NTE policy, and only a management approach was proposed. This study examines the potential of innovative acoustically attenuated partially open windows as a strategic solution to airborne night-time noise pollution from a night-time economy. This solution may improve energy efficiency and sustainability in cities while allowing the night-time economy and residential areas to coexist more harmoniously.

Evaluating Nighttime Governance Structures: Implications for Urban Policy in Night Mayor and Consultative Body Models

The rise of night mayors and other nighttime governance bodies represents an emerging model of urban governance. Vibrant nightlife scenes have become central to the identity and economy of global cities. However, the complex needs of nightlife stakeholders pose unique governance challenges. In response, some cities have instituted specialized offices of night mayor to oversee nighttime economic policy. This goal of this article is to examine this solution as a unique governance approach and compare the roles of night mayors to other nighttime consultative bodies like councils, commissions, panels, and boards. Taking into account all kinds of utility derived from nighttime activities, externalities, and stakeholders needs, the author differentiates night mayors’ concentrated leadership from the broader representation of advisory panels. It turns out that night mayors provide centralized oversight, while councils offer grassroots expertise. By working together they can create holistic strategies tailored to nighttime economies.

Are cities under bright lights more innovative? Evidence from China

The prosperity of the nighttime economy is an important criterion for measuring urban development. Based on regression analysis of data from 330 prefecture-level cities in China, this study explores the potential link between urban lighting and urban innovation capacity. The results show that the relationship between nighttime light intensity and urban innovation capacity follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Moreover, urban nighttime light stability moderates the above relationship. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis indicates that low population density, weak economic foundation, and high administrative grade weaken the relationship between lighting intensity and urban innovation capacity. Finally, the mechanism analysis suggested that the inverted U-shaped relationship between urban lighting and innovation capacity may be caused by the encroachment of the service industry and the loss of urban attractiveness. By exploring the proxy effect of nighttime lighting on urban innovation, this study reveals the imbalance between extrinsic image and the intrinsic capacity of cities, which not only extends the research on urban construction and development but also provides guidance for local governments concerning how to achieve all-round coordination of cities.

Assaults in public places: interesting numbers from a North American university city

PurposeA growing literature emphasizes violence occurring in public places. Yet, police seldom report such violence separately from violent incidents occurring elsewhere. This paper aims to distinguish assaults that occur in public vs private, outdoors vs indoors and in homes vs the night-time economy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors reorganize police data to classify 1,062 assault locations for Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2020–2021, providing basic descriptive statistics that are seldom calculated or published.FindingsIn this city, almost two-thirds of police-recorded assaults occur away from home, often within night-time economy zones. Almost half of police-recorded assaults occur outdoors.Research limitations/implicationsPublic assaults are probably under-reported and under-recorded in police data. The share of assaults occurring in public is likely to vary greatly among cities, along with reporting practices.Practical implicationsPublic assaults can create special problems for police and social services. Poor management of public space can contribute to such violence. Alcohol policy and enforcement in public places is especially relevant to public assaults. Poor urban design might explain some of the problem.Social implicationsPublic assaults are seen by many people and may do extra harm to children and even adults.Originality/valuePolice reports and academic work based on them seldom distinguish public from private assaults and seldom enumerate outdoor assaults in comparison to those indoors. In addition, statistics estimating violence in the night-time economy might not compare risks to other settings.

Eating on the Night Shift: A qualitative study to understand what is important to UK night workers when designing nutritional research

The night-time economy contributed £93.7bn to the total UK economy in 2023(1) and relies on extensive employment of night workers. There is strong evidence to support the association between shift work, predominately involving night shifts, and adverse cardiometabolic health(2). However, there are limited evidence based dietary guidelines available for night workers or nutritional practitioners(3). Simulated shift work studies have significantly contributed to understanding how eating at night impacts physiology however, real world research is needed among shift workers. Engaging end users in research design is key to inform acceptable and feasible interventions.The aim of the Eating on The Night Shift study (King’s College London Ethics:LRM-22/23-35745) is to understand how UK night workers view working at night in relation to nutritional health and wellbeing and the barriers and enablers to participating in nutritional research studies.Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken with a convenience sample (n=18) of UK night workers between June and September 2023. Interviews were held virtually and covered experiences of working night shifts, perceptions about night work and health, and perceptions of, and barriers and facilitators of engagement with, nutritional research. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded using an inductive thematic analysis approach to identify overarching themes and sub-themes(4).Of the final sample 13 were female (72%), 39% worked a rotating shift pattern, 50% had worked night shifts for between one to three years and 39% were employed in the healthcare sector. Four overarching themes were identified 1) The consequences of night work on health and wellbeing: this theme included concerns about the impact on physical and psychological wellbeing and on cognitive function during night shifts, 2) Eating at night means a less healthy diet: this theme highlighted the concerns about less healthy diets at night and how night work impacts meal planning and eating patterns, 3) Working at night has wider knock-on effects: sub themes were related to the negative impact on physical activity, sleep and social networks and 4) Nutritional research is perceived as important but there are barriers – barriers discussed were related to workload and the ability to change eating patterns, identified enablers were clear study instructions and financial compensation.The results suggest that night workers are aware of the negative long-term consequences working nights has on their health. Furthermore, efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle are impeded by the nature of night work and its disruptions to the circadian rhythm. Although night workers support research to understand how diet during night work can impact long-term health, several barriers to taking part in research need to be considered in the design of research studies. This will ensure that studies are acceptable and feasible to the night shift population.

Research on the Influencing Factors of Spatial Vitality of Night Parks Based on AHP–Entropy Weights

As an important form of night-time economy, night tourism is in urgent need of innovation and upgrading to cope with market changes. As an important part of the night tourism experience, the spatial vitality of night parks is also an important factor affecting the quality of night tourism and economic development. By summarizing the literature and the content requirements affecting the vitality of night parks, this study scientifically and objectively designates an index system containing six evaluation indicators, including Environmental adaptability, abundance of facilities, park attractiveness, Ease of travelling, environmental comfort, and social interconnectedness, based on visitor questionnaires and analysis. The hierarchical analysis method and entropy weight method are used to combine and assign the factors that have a greater impact on the spatial vitality of night parks. The evaluation results show that the environmental security and location significantly affect the spatial vitality of the night park, that is, the social interconnectedness and the park attractiveness have a greater impact on the spatial vitality of the night park. Therefore, in the subsequent construction of the night park, in order to effectively activate the spatial vitality, the visitors’ perception of the safety of the environment and the degree of locational advantage should be prioitised.

Fear, “Discomfort,” Anger, and Shame in the Night-Time Economy: Women's Responses to Unwanted Sexual Intrusions

Fear, “Discomfort,” Anger, and Shame in the Night-Time Economy: Women's Responses to Unwanted Sexual Intrusions

The Perceived Nighttime Economy Impacts: Its Binary and Multidimensional Natures

Purpose: This study examines the perceived impacts of the nighttime economy in an emerging country: Vietnam. Theoretical framework: The literature about the nighttime economy in developed contexts was reviewed to guide this study. Method/design/approach: Two exploratory studies were implemented. The first one involved the qualitative analysis of user-generated content. The second one was related to an analysis of data gathered via a structured survey. Results and conclusion: The qualitative analysis of public opinions (n = 538) revealed the positive and negative aspects of the perceived impacts. The quantitative survey (n = 352) exposed the hidden elements of the perceived impacts, including the economic, sociocultural, environmental, and health impacts. Research implications: The differences in findings between this study and the prior research were highlighted to expand the literature on the nighttime economy. Implications for local administrators when projecting and managing this new economic activity were also discussed. Originality/value: The binary and multidimensional natures of nighttime economy impacts are simultaneously taken into account to enrich the literature on these particular issues.

Influence of China’s Lighting Industry on Urban Nighttime Tourism Economic Development: Based on Co-Integration Test and Granger Causality Test

With the upgrading of residents’ consumption and the diversification of the consumption structure, China’s urban night-time tour economy has developed rapidly and become a new bright spot of urban development. As an important constituent part of urban night landscapes, the lighting industry is closely related to the development of nighttime tour economy. To further explore the influence of the lighting industry on urban night-time tour economy, the short-term and long-term cointegration relationship between the lighting industry and urban night-time tour economy was analysed by the cointegration test, and the causal relationship between the two was explored through the Granger causality test. The ADF unit root test revealed that the lighting industry and urban night-time tour belonged to second-order single integration; the Johansen cointegration test exhibited a co-integration relationship between the lighting industrial and urban night-time tour; the regression coefficient of the lighting industry (independent variable) was 0.788, showing a significance level of 0.01 (t=22.470, P=0.000<0.01); the error correction coefficient was –0.489, showing a significance level of 0.01 (t= –3.912, P=0.001<0.01). When the short-term fluctuation of the night-time tour economy deviated from the long-term equilibrium, the lighting industry would pull the night-time tour economy from an unbalanced state back to an equilibrium state with the adjustment power of –0.489. The lighting industry was only the one-way Granger result of urban night-time tour. The research results have important reference value for figuring out how China’s lighting industry can promote the development of urban night-time tour economy, guiding it to achieve high-quality development, and enhancing the strong support from the lighting industry for development of night-time tour economy.

Negotiating the night: How nightclub promoters attune their curatorial practices to the intra-urban dispersal of nightlife in Amsterdam

Night-time economies have traditionally clustered in city centres and nightlife districts. Yet, due to regulation, urban regeneration and gentrification, nightlife activities and spaces, including nightclubs and club nights, are increasingly located across cities. However, the significance and spatial dynamics of this diffusion and the relationships between different nocturnal spaces and scales remain poorly understood. This paper examines the intra-urban dispersal of nightclubs in Amsterdam and the ways in which nightclub promoters attune their curatorial practices to urban processes through genre-based commercial and cultural imperatives. Drawing on interviews with 36 nightclub promoters, 111 hours of participant observation at clubs and document-based analysis, it demonstrates how these reflexive actors respond and contribute to intra-urban dispersal by (1) spatialising music genres, (2) staging affective atmospheres at different scales and (3) spatialising audiences. The paper contributes to studies which focus on nocturnal spaces, actors and activities and the evolving urban geography within cities.

'I mean, I wouldn't say I was sober': Exploring the psychosocial impact of e-scooter injuries and aligning a collaborative public health response.

E-scooters are sought after for their cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and efficiency in urban transportation. However, this popularity has been accompanied by a surge in injuries, prompting a deeper investigation into the factors influencing risk perceptions among e-scooter users. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted 19 interviews with those who attended an emergency department as a result of e-scooter injury. We aimed to understand the psychosocial effects of these incidents and employed thematic analysis to discern recurrent patterns in participants' experiences, focusing on alterations in daily life, community response, perception shifts, and avenues to enhance safety awareness. The findings underscored significant disruptions to daily life due to injuries, demonstrating enduring impacts on lifestyle and wellbeing. Participants exhibited a perceptual shift, transitioning from perceiving e-scooters as enjoyable to viewing them as dangerous. Recommendations for enhancing safety awareness included accessible and clear safety education, pre-ride briefings, real-time safety guidance, temporal rental restrictions, and mandatory breathalysers before e-scooter use. The study underscores the importance of considering not only the individual experiences and perceptions of e-scooter injuries but also the broader social context, including the night-time economy. Leveraging peer narratives and community engagement is vital to reshape risk perceptions and promote harm reduction messages. SO WHAT?: A comprehensive approach through proactive interventions and robust educational strategies is essential to foster responsible e-scooter usage and prioritise public safety.

Research on Temporal and Spatial Distribution Pattern of the Night-Time Economy Supported by Multi-Source Data—A Case Study of Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China

The increasing proportion of night consumption in the total daily consumption means the night economy has become an indispensable part of national economic development. However, early social science research on alcohol in the night economy and social science research on the night leisure industry dominated our understanding of the night city. Few researchers have built effective mathematical statistical models to explore the spatio-temporal distribution and regional interactions of the night economy. This paper presents a method to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution pattern of the night economy based on multi-source data. Firstly, K-Means++ and DBSCAN were used to cluster OD points to identify the gathering areas of night activities. Then, the local L-function in “flow space” was used to extract the aggregated flow of each aggregation area and analyze the regional interactions. Finally, the correlation between night activity and night service facilities was calculated by using geographic detector, and night activity and lighting were coupled by the profit and loss value. The research shows that this method can identify the main areas of night activity, dig out the interrelationships at the community level, and find the new night activity gathering points and night economic growth areas in the future. This study extends the current situation that the night economy is limited to theoretical research and research in central urban areas, provides the temporal and spatial distribution of night activities and night lighting supplies from the perspective of big data, and provides a basis for future night economy research, urban planning, and relevant policy issuance.

The Spatial Pattern and Influencing Factors of China’s Nighttime Economy Utilizing POI and Remote Sensing Data

The nighttime economy (NTE) is one of the primary measures used by the Chinese government to promote urban consumption and capital flow. Especially after COVID-19, more regulations were introduced by both the central and local governments to accelerate this commercial activity. However, the relationship between the NTE and urban development is controversial. There has been controversy over the relationship between the nighttime economy and urban development. We believe that organizations/individuals embedded in different regional contexts have different behavioral patterns, which, in turn, can make cities develop nighttime commercial activities differently. We wonder whether the nighttime economy’s large-scale development fits the diverse regional development. There is a lack of discussions of the spatial distribution of nighttime commercial activities from an urban geographical perspective, especially the differences and mechanisms of urban systems based on the nighttime economy. Based on existing research arguments, this article collects points of interest (POI) and nighttime light (NTL) remote sensing data (RSD) to spatialize nighttime economic activities in order to provide a reference for reasonable regional and urban economic planning. The nighttime economy (NTE) is one of the primary channels used by the Chinese government to promote urban consumption and capital flow, and the relationship between the NTE and urban development is controversial. Based on existing research, we selected the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region as an example. We found that there are core–peripheral spatial patterns in nighttime commercial urban systems. The core is Shanghai, and provincial-level core cities form the second category, largely overlapping with the administrative urban system. Although the NTE is primarily concentrated in economically developed coastal areas, it spreads in the northwest–southeast direction, indicating that opportunities will arise in the geo-periphery. Although regulations encourage the growth of the NTE, infrastructure cannot fully support large-scale centralized expansion. The interaction of critical factors, such as urban policies, residents’ consumption, industrial structure, and economic foundations, may affect nighttime activities.

Productive policing: Lessons from preventative police strategies in times of New Public Management

Abstract Police patrol work intersects the global trends of both crime prevention strategies and New Public Management (NPM). Based on a case study conducted among operative policing units in the Norwegian nighttime economy, we canvass lessons from environments in which the tensions that arise from reactive and proactive police strategies are particularly evident. The emphasis on measurable and quantifiable tasks in line with NPM principles, coupled with the pressures to perform according to an overall strategy of crime prevention, present challenges for proactive policing conducted at street-level. The practical implications of this strategic duality are discussed. We suggest that the notion of productive policing sits at the core of this tension as a way of producing both order and quantifiable outcomes.

URBAN MORPHOLOGY’S IMPACT ON PUBLIC REALM SOCIAL COHESIVENESS IN ALMATY

Since the notion of active public realm life was coined, more and more scholars and researchers have been researching public realm life, transportation efficiency and related terms about why they are essential and how spaces can incubate social cohesion. Yet, there is a limited investigation, particularly in Kazakhstan, of how urban morphology affects the core issues of the public realm’s role in creating more socially cohesive communities. Thus, this paper seeks to find out whether we can improve public realm life vitality in a case study of Republic Square, which is considered to be one of Almaty's central, cultural, and political stages, by evaluating the existing urban morphology and analysing the outcomes of the selected site using a triangulation of morphological mapping, observation and survey methods. A connection will be extracted between public realm life vitality and use efficiency by engaging with urban morphology, through which it is possible to examine the synergy and determine if it is feasible to achieve these two and how we can mediate them. However, the current urban planning of Republic Square hardly facilitates active social life due to a lack of accessibility, low density, poor functional mix, blank interfaces, and insufficiency of the nighttime economy. Still, further research is required to investigate the selected site's fast traffic concerning the city's transportation system to propose perspective design strategies.

Reclaim the Night(Life) – Sexual Harassment in the Night-Time Economy: Zine Making as Method and Participant-Led Data Analysis

This short reflective piece sets out the background to the Reclaim the (Night) Life project, an ongoing research project into sexual violence/harassment in the night-time economy of Leeds (UK). This initial output from the project, which has involved a team of five academics from the UK Centre for Event Management at Leeds Beckett University, is based on work produced at a co-creational zine-making workshop. The workshop involved a group of students, from the university, working with their lived experience and using the workshop to support them in undertaking some initial analysis of data captured from a prior online survey. Sociologically, the zine’s purpose is to share initial research findings in a way that could engage its target demographic (young women), give voice to some of their experiences, explore zine making as a form of data capture and participant-led data analysis, and act as a prevocational device for the next stages of the Reclaim the (Night)Life research project.