The urban ecological transition and the future of Europe’s nightlife industry

Thinking night studies through a southern European perspective

“…Second, contemporary Iberian night studies built on the multidisciplinary literature evolving simultaneously in both countries and were devoted to the investigation of overlapping themes, such as the interdependencies between youth alcohol and drug consumption and nocturnal social practices (Cabêdo Sanches & Martins, 2003; Calafat, 2007; Gómez‐Fraguela et al., 2008; Mateus, 2000; Rodríguez‐Martos, 2007), the intersection between urban night and tourism (Almeida et al., 2011; Alves, 2011), the local NTE (Martínez Hernández, 2014) and nocturnal mobilities (Ortiz Escalante, 2017). To conclude, the Iberian scene features research areas devoted to the future of nightlife, taking into account both the impacts of the pandemic (Nofre, 2021b; Nofre et al., 2020) and the environmental challenges related to nightlife (Nofre & Garcia‐Ruiz, 2022). Finally, it increased its relevance in the international debate by hosting the International Conference on Night Studies in Lisbon, whose fourth meeting was held in 2023.…”

Nocturnal futures : a necessary reflection in times of uncertainty

“…In the Global South, nighttime leisure has gained popularity as a local development instrument, mostly in tourist areas and in the large metropolises of the region. However, while there is already a solid epistemological body on the transformation of the tourism industry into a more socially and environmentally sustainable industry (Fennell & Cooper, 2020 ;Hardy et al, 2002 ;Harris et al, 2012 ;McMinn, 1997 ;Seraphin & Gowreesunkar, 2021 ;Yfantidou & Matarazzo, 2017), the study of how Europe and Latin America's nighttime leisure industry can contribute to a climate-neutral and 'socially just' world still remains largely unaddressed -with the exception of Nofre and Garcia-Ruiz (2023).…”

“…2 Despite all the potential negative factors mentioned up to this point, it is worth highlighting the ongoing but still insufficient urban ecological transition towards more sustainable and livable cities. However, the lack of resilience strategies, mechanisms and tools at local, national, and global levels for the readaptation of urban nighttime economies and social activities in times of climate emergency is unexplainable (Nofre & Garcia-Ruiz, 2023). Moreover, and surprisingly, two-thirds of the Resilience and Recovery Plans approved under the European Next Generation Funds make no mention of the nightlife industry and offer no support for its green transformation, although a growing number of Europe's nightlife industry stakeholders have initiated a promising path for its 'green' transformation based on reducing their carbon footprint, energy and water consumption, and waste generation (Nofre & Garcia-Ruiz, 2023).…”

“…However, the lack of resilience strategies, mechanisms and tools at local, national, and global levels for the readaptation of urban nighttime economies and social activities in times of climate emergency is unexplainable (Nofre & Garcia-Ruiz, 2023). Moreover, and surprisingly, two-thirds of the Resilience and Recovery Plans approved under the European Next Generation Funds make no mention of the nightlife industry and offer no support for its green transformation, although a growing number of Europe's nightlife industry stakeholders have initiated a promising path for its 'green' transformation based on reducing their carbon footprint, energy and water consumption, and waste generation (Nofre & Garcia-Ruiz, 2023). However, Europe continues to be a privileged bubble of the world system whose political stability, the relative solidity of the economic-financial system and the fabric of civil society allow the implementation of processes of profound economic, social and cultural depth, such as the new European Green Deal.…”