More Cities Are Hiring “Night Mayors” To Govern After-Hours Activities

Amsterdam was the first city to appoint a "night Mayor." In Philadelphia, there is a "director of nighttime economy." Boston has appointed a "night czar." Montreal has a "night council." DC has the aptly bureaucratically named "office for nocturnal governance" while Atlanta has a "nightlife division." Cities across the globe are starting to appoint divisions of government dedicated to thinking through what citizens need and want outside of traditional "awake" hours.

Beyond parties and nightlife, these night time bodies are charged with thinking through public transportation, nighttime lighting needs, public safety, noise restrictions, 24 hour food and entertainment options and just about anything else that happens when the majority of their citizens are asleep.

Perhaps most importantly, the initiative promises to help traditionally unseen and underprotected workers who take the jobs at times when most of us would prefer to be in bed. Making a safer city for them means going past the partying cliche of the "city that never sleeps" to have someone thinking through what it really means to have a city that works for everyone ... no matter what time they are up.