ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the emergence of the night-time economy as a central framing concept in the organisation of the contemporary urban night and its failure in Sydney (and similar urban sites) to deliver on its promise of a culturally diverse, dynamic, inclusive and safe nightlife. It analyses the role of structural change in de-regulating nightlife spaces and the commensurate changes in consumption practices and levels of (real and perceived) associated crime and disorder and the role this has played in the mixed and controversial regulation of Sydney’s urban nightlife.
