Abstract
Aspects of the night-time economies (NTEs) of Australian cities have recently been the subject of considerable public debate. Against this background, this paper reviews the NTE from a planning perspective in terms of the changing nature of commercial centres and associated planning responses and issues. Particular attention is given to two key issues that have arisen in a number of planning jurisdictions: conflicts around the performance of live music, and the spatial governance of licensed hospitality and entertainment venues. The paper concludes by noting that future urban liveability – and potentially the successful implementation of elements of the current crop of metropolitan strategic plans – will be in some part determined by planners’ ability to negotiate successfully the various challenges posed by the NTE.
Acknowledgements
The opinions expressed in this paper are personal views and not necessarily those of the author's employer.
Notes
1. The concept of a ‘saturation point’ is also often used in association with venue density and cumulative impact. Its usage also varies, and ranges from understandings in terms of public opinion (see Shakeshaft et al., 2008), to use in the sense of impacts arising beyond a certain threshold of venue density.
2. The Victorian Government has subsequently issued a general ‘statement of policy’ in relation to liquor licensing that among other things provides an official definition of ‘cumulative impact’. See Victoria Government Gazette, No. S 405, Tuesday 5 October 2010.