For years, nighttime has been a blind spot in urban studies. Within the last few years, nighttime urban studies has been an emerging field of study. Andreina Seijas completed her doctoral degree at Harvard and is among the world’s first to complete the field of design and urban studies. In this interview Andreina Seijas discusses a qualitative study she co-authored with Mirik Milan on the rise of night mayors as a form nighttime governance. The study gathered elements that need to be in place to have a nighttime strategy that incorporates all interest groups: patrons, residents, youth, owners, public services. Seijas discusses the importance of nightlife, and how the pandemic was a reminder of its societal value in building community and advancing a creative culture. She believes a halt in nighttime activity in many cities is an opportunity to restructure and rethink ways to proactively advance improvements. The 2022 World Urban Forum included nightlife on the agenda for the first time to a global urban planning network.
Andreina Seijas is a Venezuelan researcher and international consultant who studies nighttime governance. Seijas has a Doctor of Design (DDes) degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and over a decade experience in urban development in Latin America, Europe, and the US. When Seijas was growing up in Venezuela, nightlife in public spaces was dangerous and violent. After experience analyzing vibrant cities in graduate school and travelling to other cities with vibrant nighttime economies, Seijas focused her studies on nighttime economy governance.
