Creative Footprint – The Creative Footprint is a non-profit initiative that measures and indexes live music space.

Monitor

Engage

Reclaim

Creative Footprint (CFP) is a data-driven research project by nighttime consultancy agency VibeLab that studies creative spaces and communities to examine the cultural value and impact of music and nightlife in the city.

Our methodology goes beyond economic impact, prioritising original content, interdisciplinary connections, and cross-functional spaces for thriving local scenes.

Since its founding in 2017, CFP has been conducting community-based and collaborative venue mapping in Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Stockholm Montreal and Sydney, including music spaces, clubs, galleries, and informal creative spaces. The goal of Creative Footprint is to show the value of spaces that foster talent, strengthen communities and make our cities unique.

READ ALL CREATIVE FOOTPRINT REPORTS

Our Founders Have Been Featured In:

SIGN UP TO VIBELAB NEWSLETTER

Our Team

Lutz Leichsenring (he/him)

Project Lead and Consultant

Lutz is a Co-founder of VibeLab and based in Berlin. Since 2009, Lutz has served as the spokesperson for the Berlin Clubcommission, advocating tirelessly for the rights and advancement of the capital’s nightlife scenes. Lutz has supported the development of nighttime offices in Vienna, Tokyo to New York, and is a serving member of Berlin’s Musicboard and Chamber of Commerce.

Mirik Milan (he/him)

Project Lead and Consultant

Mirik is Co-founder of VibeLab. As Amsterdam’s former night mayor, Mirik has played an instrumental role in reshaping the city’s nightlife scenes into a robust 24-hour culturally-rich nighttime economy. Over the past decade, Mirik has advanced the development of nighttime governance, advocacy and leadership globally.

Jane Slingo (she/her)

Director of VibeLab Asia Pacific

Jane is the Director of VibeLab Asia Pacific and a proactive changemaker committed to transforming Sydney’s music and nightlife. Through persistent advocacy, Jane has contributed to outcomes including repealing the lockout laws and record government investment into the NSW contemporary music sector. Jane is also an Artist Manager and board member for MusicNSW.

Amir Alexander Salem (he/him)

Project Manager and Researcher

Amir is a London-born, Berlin-based project manager and researcher of Swedish, Egyptian, and German heritage, with degrees in Geography and Urban Studies. Through reflexive and engaged research, Amir seeks equitable futures for minoritised, marginalised and underrepresented communities in music and nightlife.

Jess Dymond Barber (she/her)

CFP Communications and Content Manager

Jessie is a Berlin-based cultural producer advocating for nightlife on every level, connecting communities IRL and online through discussions, panels, parties and off-kilter events. Jessie is motivated to emphasise the importance of safe, sustainable gathering spaces, fostering community, and nurturing imaginative thinking.

Jack Waghorn

Graphic Design

Jack is a versatile digital designer, working across print and web. With a degree in Design of Experiences, he crafts immersive connections between technology and visual communication. Based in the UK, Jack’s designs resonate in cultural realms, particularly within alternative music, art and culture.

Maarten van Brederode (he/him)

Researcher

Maarten is a researcher who believes in the power of grassroots advocacy and engagement to enact real policy change for thriving music, arts and cultural scenes. He has lived in Seattle, New York and Amsterdam before Berlin. Maarten holds degrees in Urban Geography and has worked in policy research since 2019.

Diana Raiselis (they/ them)

Senior Researcher and Writer

Diana is a researcher, facilitator and cultural manager, using research and civic arts practice to work towards more sustainable and equitable cities with curiosity, rigour and care. With degrees in Urban Studies, Theatre and Civic Engagement, Diana is a past recipient of policy and arts fellowships in Berlin, Salzburg, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Michael Fichman (he/him)

Lead Data Scientist

Michael Fichman is a city planner, researcher and lecturer at PennPraxis at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. He is a nightlife organiser, musician, and Philadelphia City Council’s Arts and Culture Task Force member. He is also an editor of the Global Nighttime Recovery Plan.

Miriam Anne Cherayil (she/her)

Data Scientist

Mia is in her last semester at the University of Pennsylvania, pursuing a Master's in City and Regional Planning. Having worked as a software engineer in Boston before graduate school, she is excited to blend her interests in emerging technologies, data-driven methods, and urbanism to make cities more resilient and inclusive.

Itay Porat (he/him)

Data Scientist

Itay is an engineer, designer, city planner and musician based in Houston. He works to help cities thrive and adapt through better planning and design, focusing on ecology, environmental justice and geospatial technologies. He is also active in performing, improvising and composing music and explores how planning and design can engage and empower artists and audiences. Itay holds degrees in engineering from the University of Houston and City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.