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Cover photo: Unsplash/Frane Medić
The night-time economy is no longer the blind spot of urban planning – it’s becoming an important layer of how cities function, grow, and include. That’s the premise behind NITIES – Night-Time Economy Strategies: Interregional approach to managing the night-time economy in the EU, a four-year initiative led by Zagreb’s Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in partnership with the City of Zagreb and seven other European cities and regions. Officially introduced to the public this week, NITIES sets out to rethink how urban life after dark is understood, supported, and strategically developed across Europe.
Backed by €1.8 million in EU funding through Interreg Europe, NITIES isn’t about nightlife for nightlife’s sake. It’s about asking serious questions: How does urban activity from 6PM to 6AM influence economic development, public safety, mobility, culture, or environmental impact? How can local governments – too often focused on the 9-to-5 – start thinking strategically about what happens after dark?
Cities of Warsaw, Galway, Tallinn, Sarajevo, Vilnius, Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region, and Foundation of Landscape Protection (Poland) are part of this policy driven project. Each partner brings its own context, strengths, and blind spots, creating a space where knowledge transfer is both top-down and bottom-up. This includes bridging the gap between cities with mature cultural night-time ecosystems and those just starting to recognize the potential.
Notably, during the press part of the project’s introduction in Zagreb on June 4th, one of the central questions posed was whether any policies addressing Zagreb’s night-time economy currently exist. The official response was clear: there are none. This absence underscores exactly why NITIES is necessary – not as an abstract policy experiment, but as a direct intervention into a vacuum of strategic thinking.
Equally important was the discussion around local independent collectives and artists. A question from the press raised the issue of their current exclusion from formal night-time policy processes. The conclusion from the panel was clear: these actors – often the most active, creative, and community-embedded participants in the night-time ecosystem – must be included in the project from the outset. Their knowledge, networks, and lived experience make them as crucial stakeholders in shaping realistic and inclusive strategies.
Moreover, the researchers have discussed cities that already have well-developed approaches to managing the nighttime economy, which could serve as an example of the expected outcome. These included Berlin, which operates through bodies of the Club Commission and the Music Board; Amsterdam, known globally for its Night Mayor; and one of the participating cities, Vilnius, where the Vilnius Night Office functions as an official association directly tied to the city administration.
For Zagreb, NITIES will directly inform and reorder the city’s Cultural Development Programme. The goal is to move beyond isolated pilot projects and into integrated, long-term measures that treat the night-time economy as a legitimate and necessary policy domain. By making sure residents, artists, and local groups have a real say from the start, the project is building strategies that are both practical and forward-looking.
