Safety, diversity and inclusion are the keys to building a united and resilient, prosperous and dynamic community, particularly at night. As well as contributing to the well-being and quality of life of residents, the presence of these elements attracts and retains talented and creative people in the city. These individuals bring innovation, culture and a vibrant atmosphere, contributing to the continued development and diversification of the urban landscape. By fostering these values, cities ensure not only economic growth but also a distinctive and attractive cultural profile.
In Amsterdam, this is also achieved thanks to the existence of “The Club Ethics Program”, a useful tool in this story and a project that the current Mayor of the Night, Freek Wallagh, acquired from his predecessor, Romand Lema. In the broadest sense of the word, the programme motivates clubs and supports them in developing a code of conduct, policy, incident management, communication strategies while ensuring staff are trained.
I’m currently working with local governments in different neighborhoods to create clear dialogue between transport providers, clubs and authorities to create clearer exit routes and safer parking areas, more taxi drivers where we need them. It involves complex negotiations with the city government even in terms of infrastructure, but I’m very pleased to see we’re now expanding it to be a bit more inclusive, says Wallagh.
Freek told us that he comes from a Jewish family, more specifically a family of Romanian-Jewish origin, who suffered severely throughout the decades of persecution and were involved in the arts industry as writers and musicians. Members of his family never had the opportunity to express their art in the way they would have wished, so he considers it essential to dismantle the mechanisms and structures that contributed to unequal distributions of cultural and social capital.
I think I am in a position where I can help at least a little. By choosing to invest in the outskirts of the city and exploring how nightlife can help balance skills, I’m trying to break down barriers and create new opportunities, especially as nightlife makes it easier for people to get involved because of the opacity of this area and the wide possibilities for experimentation it offers, he adds.
He will tell us about this and much more on October 30, in Timișoara, during The Culture of Nightlife Conference.
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This project is part of the national cultural program “Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023” and is financed through the Grow Timișoara 2023 program, carried out by the Project Center of Timișoara Municipality, with funds allocated from the state budget, through the budget of the Ministry of Culture.
The Night-Art Festival is presented by George, the first smart banking.
Sponsors: Fan Courier, Iulius Town, ATP Motors, Pepsi
Project partners: Leeds City Council, In-Edu Association Timișoara, German Cultural Center Timișoara, Cluj Cultural Center, West University Timișoara, University of Art and Design Cluj-Napoca, Polytechnic University of Timișoara
Communication partners: Getica OOH, Aushopping galleries, Kiss Fm, Euromedia, Pressone.ro, G4Media.ro, World Wide Print, Daisler Print House, Știri din România, Tion, Express de Banat, IQOOL, Zile și Nopți, Știri de Timișoara, NewsVest, Adevărul, TVR, Radio Timișoara, România Pozitivă, Best of Timișoara