The Night Mayor Goes Global

When reports of Amsterdam’s Night Mayor started filtering into the international media, few could have imagined the concept would take off around the world with such speed. While the Dutch capital was not the first city to have an independent body or NGO working with the actual mayor to make sure its night hours run smoothly, Amsterdam has nonetheless been at the forefront of spreading the concept. Now a host of other cities, including London and New York, have adopted something similar and Amsterdam’s example is being widely celebrated as a healthy template for cultivating a harmonious nighttime atmosphere for citizens—whether asleep or awake.

For many cities, the idea of creating a special city office or partner NGO to cover areas that already fall under other existing officials’ jurisdiction still requires a leap of faith. Amsterdam Night Mayor Mirik Milan made his case for more night managers in a conversation at Citylab 2017 in Paris.