Rhythms of the Night: Spatiotemporal Inequalities in the Nighttime Economy

Tim Schwanen, Irina van Aalst, Jelle Brands and Tjerk Timan
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Tim Schwanen: Transport Studies Unit, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, England
Tjerk Timan: Science, Technology, and Policy Studies (STəPS), School of Management and Governance, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

Environment and Planning A, 2012, vol. 44, issue 9, 2064-2085

Abstract: The authors seek to extend the literature on inequalities and exclusion in the nighttime economy through a rhythmic analysis of visitor presence in public space in nightlife districts in the city centres of the Dutch cities of Groningen, Utrecht, and Rotterdam. Substantial inequalities in visitor presence, based on race/ethnicity and gender, are demonstrated. In the cities considered, racial/ethnic inequalities vary more in spatial terms, and gender inequalities fluctuate more heavily over the course of the night. Overall, however, the findings support the argument that exclusion from the nighttime economy needs to be understood in temporal—ecological terms. Multiple drivers, or pacemakers, of rhythmic inequalities rooted in race/ethnicity and gender are identified, including opening hours and revellers' collective habits. For advocates of greater diversity among nighttime-economy participants, the analysis suggests that neither a more varied supply of nightlife premises, nor more surveillance and policing, are straightforward solutions: a strong orientation of premises toward university students and urban professionals may promote gender-based inclusion, but deters nonwhite revellers, and more police on the street may empower women to move through a nightlife district unaccompanied yet reduce the inclination to do so among racial/ethnic minorities

Keywords: nighttime economy; exclusion; rhythm; gender; ethnicity; Netherlands (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:envira:v:44:y:2012:i:9:p:2064-2085

DOI: 10.1068/a44494

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