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Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Creative Footprint is a research project by VibeLab with support of PennPraxis that researches creative spaces and communities to study the cultural value and impact of music and nightlife in the city.

Photo credit: Mark Bolk, Instagram @markbolk 

In the coming years, Rotterdam will embark on visionary plans for the hospitality and cultural sector that include ambitions for nightlife and the integration of nightlife in urban policy. With generous support from the Municipality of Rotterdam, N8W8 R’dam has commissioned urban nighttime research consultancy VibeLab, in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s PennPraxis, to undertake a study of the city’s music and nightlife spaces and communities throughout 2024. 

The Rotterdam-based nightlife advocacy and advisory organisation N8W8 R’dam will serve as an integral local partner in project implementation. Over the spring, the Creative Footprint team will host a series of focus groups and in-depth interviews to better understand the prevailing issues, challenges and opportunities for nightlife 

in the city. By inviting all of Rotterdam’s nightlife actors to participate and engage in discussion, the team will empower and amplify emerging and established voices alike. In tandem, the Creative Footprint team will produce a richly detailed spatial analysis of nightlife venues in the city against demographic and economic datasets, in order to uncover further insights into the ways in which nightlife is embedded into Rotterdam’s urban fabric.  

The research project will culminate with a report in Autumn 2024, including a set of policy recommendations and ‘better’ practices to best support the Municipality of Rotterdam to work with and support the city’s nightlife communities. These next steps will align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Rotterdam is the seventh city to be studied by the Creative Footprint team, having previously conducted research into the creative and cultural nighttime sectors of Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Stockholm, Montréal and Sydney. 

Creative Footprint’s methodology was developed by Berlin Club Commission’s board member and spokesperson Lutz Leichsenring in collaboration with leading nighttime academics and practitioners at Harvard University. Since Creative Footprint launched with Berlin’s study in 2017, the team has generated a database of over 5,000+ music and nightlife venues in seven major cities across three continents. Creative Footprint’s data scientists, led by city planner and lecturer Michael Fichman at the University of Pennsylvania, analyse thousands of unique data points pertaining to nightlife venues. 

The team assesses venues according to unique indicators and integrates this venue data with economic and spatial data from government databases using a customised software environment. This leads to a rich cultural analysis of the city’s cultural and creative nighttime ecosystem. Working in collaboration with local music and nightlife experts, Creative Footprint’s research team gathers insights from dozens of actors, stakeholders and decision makers embedded in a city’s creative, music and nightlife scenes to assess the current picture, and provide actionable solutions.

Creative Footprint Rotterdam comes at an exciting and crucial moment as Rotterdam has recently seen both venues opening and closing, whilst the different local scenes and municipality have been pushing for more lively, safely accessible nightlife. So, what comes next? Research will commence in mid-March 2024 with a series of focus groups and interviews with selected Rotterdam nightlife changemakers. The Creative Footprint team will continue from there to engage with more people, data and the city. The insights and momentum generated by Creative Footprint Rotterdam will be essential for the city to safeguard, grow and celebrate its nightlife. 

If you would like to get involved, reach out to us via the Google form below. Follow the N8W8 R’dam socials for updates on this project or subscribe to the mailing list via this link

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Creative Footprint Rotterdam is a research project by VibeLab and PennPraxis commissioned by N8W8 R’dam with generous support of the Municipality of Rotterdam

VibeLab is a leading, purpose-driven consultancy agency in all things at night. Founded in 2018 by Amsterdam’s former Night Mayor Mirik Milan and Berlin Club Commission’s spokesperson Lutz Leichsenring, VibeLab is based between Amsterdam, Berlin and Sydney. Our expertise and international network of over 3,000 cultural and creative industry professionals, scientists and public officials in more than 100 cities on 6 continents helps all those seeking new paths to improve creative nighttime ecosystems. VibeLab is fast-acting, trendspotting and strategising with all parties involved in creative communities, private and public sectors. By facilitating the exchange of ideas and providing tried and tested tools, formats and best practices, we amplify subcultures.

For interview requests or enquiries about the project:

Sydney

Sydney 2023

Creative Footprint (CFP) is a data-driven study that benchmarks nocturnal governance structures and maps creative space and communities to study the cultural strength and impact of a city’s music and nightlife ecosystem.

Vibelab Asia Pacific Director Jane Slingo said: 

“We’re very pleased to present the Creative Footprint Sydney during a transformative time for live music in NSW. In 2017, Global Cities After Dark brought Lutz Leichsenring to Sydney to present the very first Creative Footprint study (Berlin), and over the years since then, there have been conversations about one day embarking on the Creative Footprint Sydney. 

“It is a testament to the leadership of the NSW Minister for Music and the Nighttime Economy, the NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, and so many key stakeholders in NSW that Sydney can measure and better understand the city’s music spaces, communities and the ways challenges can be overcome in this exciting new chapter.”

Jack Waghorn

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.

Jane Slingo (she/her)

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.

Jess Dymond Barber (she/her)

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.

Miriam Anne Cherayil (she/her)

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)

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.

Mirik Milan (he/him)

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.

Montréal

Montréal 2022

Creative Footprint is a research project by VibeLab and PennPraxis that surveys communities and maps the spatial distribution of creative spaces to study nightlife and cultural activity in the city.

Montréal’s ‘Creative Footprint’ identifies the contemporary issues, needs and challenges of communities embedded in Montréal’s music and nightlife scenes. By empowering and amplifying emerging and established voices, this research project supports MTL 24/24 and urban policymakers in Montréal in best planning for and supporting creative spaces and communities in the city’s nightlife scenes for future generations.

Why research Montréal’s ‘Creative Footprint’?

Montréal’s creative spaces play a fundamental role in grounding the city’s culture. A solid cultural foundation provides citizens with many experiences, fosters talent, strengthens communities, and provides opportunities for social, cultural and economic life. So, by showing the value of intelligent use of creative space, we build a more unique and vibrant city. While the lasting impact of COVID-19 on communities and areas operating in Montréal’s nightlife scenes is yet to be thoroughly investigated, we will identify the key challenges resulting from the pandemic and challenges related to urban redevelopment and government policies and provide solutions.

Creative Footprint Montréal is a research project by VibeLab and is funded by MTL 24/24.

Diana Raiselis (they/ them)

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.