Urban Nightscapes Youth Cultures, Pleasure Spaces and Corporate Power

In many western cities, urban nightlife is experiencing a 'McDonaldization', where big branded names are taking over large parts of downtown areas, leaving consumers with an increasingly standardized experience. "Urban Nightscapes" takes a new look at this rapidly changing aspect of urban life, examining the relationships between young adults, nightlife and city spaces. It focuses on what the authors call 'urban nightscapes' - youthful and playful cultural activities in bars, pubs, night-clubs and music venues, which occur against a backdrop of increasing corporate influence in the night-time economy.

In many western cities, urban nightlife is experiencing a 'McDonaldisation', where big branded names are taking over large parts of downtown areas, leaving consumers with an increasingly standardised experience. This book takes a new look at this rapidly changing aspect of urban life, examining the relationships between young adults, nightlife and city spaces. It focuses on what the authors call 'urban nightscapes' - both mainstream and alternative youthful cultural activities in bars, pubs, night-clubs and music venues, which occur against a backdrop of increasing corporate influence in the night-time economy.

1. Introduction. Making urban nightscapes Part I - Understanding Nightlife Processes and Spaces, Producing, Regulating and Consuming Urban Nightscapes 2. Producing nightlife: Corporatisation, branding and market segmentation in the urban entertainment economy 3. Regulating nightlife: Profit, fun and (dis)order 4. Consuming nightlife: Youth cultural identities, transitions and lifestyle divisions Part II - Urban Nightlife Stories. Experiencing Mainstream, Residual and Alternative Spaces 5. Pleasure, profit and youth in the corporate playground: Branding and gentrification in mainstream nightlife 6. Selling nightlife in studentland 7. Sexing the mainstream: Young women and gay cultures in the night 8. Residual Youth Nightlife: Community, tradition and social exclusion 9. 'You've gotta fight for your right to party'. Alternative nightlife on the margins 10. Nightlife visions. Beyond the corporate nightlife machine

Paul Chatterton, Robert Hollands