Creative spaces are the foundation of a vibrant city. They are the curated aspects of nightlife that often include music, performance, literature, visual art, and culinary art experiences that make a city special. Lutz Leichsenring works to understand where curated nightlife is and makes recommendations to preserve these spaces. Often, they are overlooked in cities, where creatives cannot afford the high rents. Despite the challenges which have been exacerbated by the pandemic, there are some positives. There is a surplus of retail and office spaces that can be converted into creative spaces, where people who have spent a long time in isolation can connect.
Lutz Leichsenring has spent his entire working life in nightlife. He worked as a promoter, had a club, restaurant, and started one of the biggest online platforms for nightlife in Germany. In 2009 he was elected spokesperson of Clubcommission in Berlin, a nighttime advocacy organization closely tied to the local government. Clubcommission works with city on soundproofing, funding nightlife leaders, and supporting grassroots movements in nightlife and is a role model for cities across the globe. Leichsenring is also the co-founder of VibeLab, an organization that keeps cities vibrant after dark and Creative Footprint, an initiative that indexes creative spaces in cities across the globe.
