For more than 20 years, Andreina Seijas has been asking a simple question: what makes a great night out? We spoke with her to find out what she's learned.
Cities around the world are rethinking how people live, work and socialise after dark, and few are as well-versed on this topic as Andreina Seijas.
One of the world’s leading voices on night studies, Seijas is a globally recognised researcher, urbanist and advisor, who has spent nearly 2 decades working at the intersection of planning, governance and culture to help cities and people better understand life after dark. Through her international practice, Seijas advises governments, industry leaders and organisations, from city administrations to the World Economic Forum, on how to design safer, more inclusive and more vibrant 24-hour economies.
Based in Barcelona but working across continents, her projects have spanned cities including Buenos Aires, London, Shanghai and New York.
We spoke with Seijas on what sparked her interest in placemaking and night studies, and how New South Wales stacks up against other global cities when it comes to creating a good night out.
From Caracas to global night studies
Seijas’ interest in life after dark began not in a bustling global capital, but in her hometown of Caracas, Venezuela, where the night was largely inaccessible.
“Growing up, Caracas was one of the most dangerous cities in the world,” she says. “As a young woman, the night was something out of reach. You could only meet in private, highly secured spaces.”
When travelling abroad, however, Seijas saw a stark contrast in the way that people in other countries spent their time after dark.
“I became obsessed,” she says. “I realised the night is where we meet others, form identities and build social trust. So what happens when you don’t have that?”
This question would shape her academic work, including a PhD in nighttime urbanism at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and would ultimately lay the foundations for her professional practice, Night Tank, an international advisory platform dedicated to shaping better governance at night.
The rise of the night czar
Over the past decade, cities around the world have started to treat their nightlife not just as an economic asset, but as a civic institution like health, education or art, which requires consideration and investment.
More than 80 cities globally have now formalised some form of night-time governance, through the creation of dedicated leadership roles: Night Mayors, Night Czars or, in New South Wales’ case, a 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, to oversee their respective nightlife and after-dark activities.
“For a long time, the night was managed reactively,” Seijas says. “What we’re seeing now is a more proactive approach, where governments recognise the economic, social and cultural value of the night and invest in understanding it properly.”
NSW: a model for the world
According to Seijas, New South Wales is fast becoming a global leader in night-time governance.
“What’s unique is the scale and scope,” she says. “A state-level model creates opportunities to connect a vision across multiple communities.”
The shift from reactive policies, such as the lockout laws, to a proactive, strategic approach has also been critical.
“You now have a dedicated office, leadership and team looking at the 24-hour economy holistically. That’s rare.
“It’s a network approach, rather than relying on a single district.”
From learning to leading: the evolution of NEON Forum
In many ways, the fruit of NSW's approach to the 24-hour economy can be seen in its annual NEON Forum - an event which Seijas has helped curate since its inception. To Seijas, NEON Forum acts as a great reminder of how far NSW has come in its approach.
“The first year was about learning from global leaders,” she says. “The second was about building local capacity. And by the third, NSW was showcasing its own model to the world.”
Last year, NEON welcomed international experts from Japan, Spain, the US, Canada and the UK, across 55 sessions with 135 speakers spanning industry, government and business.
“Now, I get a lot of people who reach out to me and ask about the Commissioner’s role and about the Office. They’re constantly looking at the website and downloading the strategy, guidelines and templates. It’s become a global reference point,” she says.
Looking ahead, Seijas believes the next step is to bring discussions out of conference rooms and into the city itself.
“Experiencing the city together is essential. When we get it right, everyone benefits.”
3 key trends emerging in the night-time economy
While every city's nightlife is shaped by its own culture, geography and policy settings, Seijas says many of the same forces are influencing night-time economies around the world. Drawing on her work across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia, she has identified 3 key trends that are reshaping how people experience cities after dark and how governments, businesses and communities respond.
1. Changing behaviours among younger generations
One of the most significant shifts is generational. Younger cohorts like Gen Z are engaging with nightlife differently to previous generations.
“They’re drinking less, they’re more health-conscious, and they’re looking for experiences rather than just going out for the sake of it,” Seijas says.
Combined with rising living costs and lower disposable incomes, younger consumers are becoming increasingly selective about how, where and why they spend their evenings.
The result is a transformation of traditional nightlife models. Venues and operators that once relied heavily on alcohol consumption are facing new challenges, while alternative offerings such as social sport, wellness experiences and hybrid events are gaining momentum.
“Instead of trying to bring people back to old habits, we need to understand what they actually want now,” Seijas says. “That’s where the opportunity for innovation lies.”
2. Nightlife is moving closer to home
A second major trend is the move away from highly concentrated nightlife districts towards more distributed, neighbourhood-based activity.
Historically, cities often clustered nightlife into a single precinct or high street. In theory, this made the night easier to regulate, police and service, but it was also a catch 22; it created challenges around overcrowding, safety and amenity, often requiring more policing and negative outcomes.
This behaviour has changed, due to a confluence of factors, primarily the rise of remote work and at-home entertainment, which has seen people less willing to travel far from home for their night out.
“People don’t want to travel long distances for entertainment. They want options closer to home,” Seijas says.
The result is a growing emphasis on activating localised hubs across a city, enabling different neighbourhoods to develop their own after-dark identity.
“There’s a strong case for decentralisation,” Seijas explains. “When activity is spread out, it can actually be easier to manage, socially, economically and from a safety perspective.”
3. Climate and the rise of the 24-hour city
Climate change is also influencing when people use cities, Seijas explains. In many places, prolonged heat and more frequent extreme weather events are pushing activity into cooler parts of the day, which is often in the evening.
“As temperatures become more extreme, especially in warmer climates, we’re seeing activity shift away from the middle of the day and into the evening and night,” Seijas says.
This shift has significant implications for urban planning. Retailers, hospitality businesses, transport operators and public services may need to adjust operating hours and service delivery to accommodate changing patterns of movement and consumption.
Seijas points to research conducted across Australian cities that found consumer behaviour changes before, during and after heatwave events. Sectors such as discretionary retail, particularly clothing stores, were found to be especially sensitive to temperature fluctuations.
“Climate change means we can’t think about the day and night separately anymore,” she says. “We need to design cities across the full 24-hour cycle.”
Together these trends point to a broader shift in how cities understand and manage life after dark, with the future of nightlife becoming more local, more diverse and better integrated into the wider functioning of the city. For policymakers, businesses and city leaders, the challenge is not simply attracting people out at night, but also understanding how behaviours and external influences are evolving.
For Seijas, the most successful cities will be those that view the night as an essential part of urban life and plan for it accordingly.
“The night is the other half of the day, and it’s important that we take it seriously.”