Cities are built to be fully functional during the day, an EU-funded project, however, examines the prospects for sustainable development of the night-time economy and whether this could be implemented in Nicosia as well. Simone d'Antonio, chief expert of the "Cities After Dark" network, the first ever European Union-funded project on the subject, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that the night-time economy is something that creates jobs, while speaking about Nicosia, he said that there are new opportunities.

D'Antonio was in Nicosia with other participants and experts of the Cities After Dark network and met with city authorities and people involved in the night-time economy. He spoke to CNA about strategies and innovations related to the nightlife of cities, highlighting the importance of citizen engagement in creating sustainable and cohesive cities.

As d'Antonio explained, the project, entitled "Night-time economy for sustainable development" led by Braga (Portugal), includes nine other European cities, namely Paris (France), Tallinn (Estonia), Varna (Bulgaria), Genoa (Italy), Malaga (Spain), Nicosia (Cyprus), Piraeus (Greece), Zadar (Croatia) and Budva (Montenegro). He noted that different sizes of European cities are being examined to explore issues such as economic activity at night, urban mobility, safety and cultural management, emergency services, and supply services.

He added that this project examines the models of the night economy, i.e. what happens at the economic level from 18:00 in the evening to 06:00 in the morning in cities across Europe in order to develop innovative solutions and action models which respond to current needs, in cooperation with local stakeholders, to improve policies in each city.

He pointed out that an important dimension of the programme is the participation and exchange of views with local actors and stakeholders in each city. "What is completely new in what we are doing is that we are bringing the discussion with local institutions, so we are trying to push the cooperation between local authorities and the night-time economy sector," he said, adding that this reduces conflicts, promotes social cohesion and enables potential entrepreneurs or artists to do and try things to improve cities and people's quality of life.

Using the example of Braga, Portugal, he said that this city has launched the first 24-hour nursery that operates at night, saying that "this is very important as there are families where both parents work at night, because for example, they may be doctors, nurses or even if they work in the cultural sector or in bars, restaurants or universities."

He added that the night-time economy is something that creates jobs, noting that in the United Kingdom one in ten jobs are done at night.

Speaking about Nicosia's night-time economy, d'Antonio said that Nicosia recently organised workshops and DJ courses for young people near Eleftherias Square, noting that "this was a great example of how public space is used and is an example we are promoting a lot across Europe". He also stated that new opportunities are being created for aspiring DJs, adding that the cultural and other activities taking place in the centre of Nicosia's old town contribute to the revitalisation of the whole city by creating new opportunities and dynamics.

Asked about the prospects for the economic development of Nicosia in the evening, d'Antonio said that "in walled Nicosia there are so many abandoned shops and buildings that can be turned into art galleries or museums at night and this can be done on an experimental basis". He added that new businesses and activities can be created that involve not only bars and clubs, but also music and cultural venues. "Everything that is part of the city can be revitalised to a large extent by organising events in different parts of the city," he mentioned.

He added that some cities have set up night-time economy committees, such as Berlin and Zurich, which he said would be good for Nicosia as well. He noted that these committees involve different groups of people, working together and expressing their views on the night-time economy, stressing the need for the participation of groups from the LGBTQ community and the participation of women.

Finally, d'Antonio told CNA that the final results of this project will be presented in Tallinn, Estonia in September 2025, where the presentation of what has been done will take place, along with a big festival, while in the meantime other events and actions will be held at European and international level for the night-time economy.