The City after dark : cultural planning and governance of the night-time economy in Parramatta

The development and management of the night-time economy is one of the most important issues facing cities around the globe. It needs to be addressed in a range of different contemporary urban locations across Australia, including all state capitals and, less obviously, in regional centres. Parramatta, though part of the Sydney conurbation, is a significant city in its own right, with a night-time economy that has undergone growth and evolution over the past decade. Its developing night-time economy has been received with a typical mix of optimism about economic, cultural and social benefits as well as anxiety about law and order, social strains, and the dynamics of participation and exclusion. The pilot project reported here examines the development, culture, experience and governance of the night-time economy in Parramatta in order to help develop policy-making for the long-term economic, cultural and social sustainability of its urban night-time leisure spaces.