Managing Urban Nights: Night Mayors, Commons Creation, and Bodily Interconnectedness

Abstract In this paper, we investigate how ethical questions of fairness and representation are embedded in processes of commons creation. Drawing on a qualitative case study of a global trend in night management, we show how proponents (including ‘night mayors’ and ‘night councils’) in various cities attempt to reconceptualize urban nights as commons and engage in negotiations around diverse and often conflicting uses. Our findings highlight that night mayors sought to initiate ethical processes addressing fairness, representation, participation, and compromise. These processes involved reimagining urban nights as shared resources, fostering communities around them, developing emerging commoning practices, and shifting perceptions of time (from objective, general, and universal to subjective, specific, and localized). The study illustrates the foundational role of ethical considerations and shifts in temporal perception and highlights the concept of bodily interconnectedness in advancing our understanding of embodied ethics. Overall, the paper contributes to our knowledge of commons creation in urban environments and beyond. It also points to further research on how ethics and processes of commons creation are intertwined.