Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark

As data becomes a key component of urban governance, the night-time economy is still barely visible in datasets or in policies to improve urban life. In the last 20 years, over 50 cities worldwide appointed night mayors and governance mechanisms to tackle conflicts, foster innovation, and help the n...

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Main Author: Jess Reia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2025-01-01
Series:Data & Policy
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000907/type/journal_article
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author Jess Reia
author_facet Jess Reia
author_sort Jess Reia
collection DOAJ
description As data becomes a key component of urban governance, the night-time economy is still barely visible in datasets or in policies to improve urban life. In the last 20 years, over 50 cities worldwide appointed night mayors and governance mechanisms to tackle conflicts, foster innovation, and help the night-time economy sector grow. However, the intersection of data, digital rights, and 24-hour cities still needs more studies, examples, and policies. Here, the key argument is that the increasing importance of the urban night in academia and local governments claims for much-needed responsible data practices to support and protect nightlife ecosystems. By understanding these ecosystems and addressing data invisibilities, it is possible to develop a robust framework anchored in safeguarding human rights in the digital space and create comprehensive policies to help such ecosystems thrive. Night-time governance matters for the data policy community for three reasons. First, it brings together issues covered in different disciplines by various stakeholders. We need to build bridges between sectors to avoid siloed views of urban data governance. Second, thinking about data in cities also means considering the social, economic, and cultural impact of datafication and artificial intelligence on a 24-hour cycle. Creating a digital rights framework for the night means putting into practice principles of justice, ethics, and responsibility. Third, as Night Studies is an emerging field of research, policy and advocacy, there is an opportunity to help shape how, why, and when data about the night is collected and made available to society.
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spelling doaj-art-1d2e3985d27448e88b6ecc7b87e0b6272025-08-20T02:12:59ZengCambridge University PressData & Policy2632-32492025-01-01710.1017/dap.2024.90Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after darkJess Reia0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6023-4584School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USAAs data becomes a key component of urban governance, the night-time economy is still barely visible in datasets or in policies to improve urban life. In the last 20 years, over 50 cities worldwide appointed night mayors and governance mechanisms to tackle conflicts, foster innovation, and help the night-time economy sector grow. However, the intersection of data, digital rights, and 24-hour cities still needs more studies, examples, and policies. Here, the key argument is that the increasing importance of the urban night in academia and local governments claims for much-needed responsible data practices to support and protect nightlife ecosystems. By understanding these ecosystems and addressing data invisibilities, it is possible to develop a robust framework anchored in safeguarding human rights in the digital space and create comprehensive policies to help such ecosystems thrive. Night-time governance matters for the data policy community for three reasons. First, it brings together issues covered in different disciplines by various stakeholders. We need to build bridges between sectors to avoid siloed views of urban data governance. Second, thinking about data in cities also means considering the social, economic, and cultural impact of datafication and artificial intelligence on a 24-hour cycle. Creating a digital rights framework for the night means putting into practice principles of justice, ethics, and responsibility. Third, as Night Studies is an emerging field of research, policy and advocacy, there is an opportunity to help shape how, why, and when data about the night is collected and made available to society.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000907/type/journal_articleethicsdata justicedigital rights frameworknight-time governanceurban data
spellingShingle Jess Reia
Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
Data & Policy
ethics
data justice
digital rights framework
night-time governance
urban data
title Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
title_full Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
title_fullStr Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
title_full_unstemmed Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
title_short Invisible data in night-time governance: addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
title_sort invisible data in night time governance addressing policy gaps and building a digital rights framework for cities after dark
topic ethics
data justice
digital rights framework
night-time governance
urban data
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324924000907/type/journal_article
work_keys_str_mv AT jessreia invisibledatainnighttimegovernanceaddressingpolicygapsandbuildingadigitalrightsframeworkforcitiesafterdark