The Milan Movida — Nightlife MoU

Good Practice

Efficiency

The Milan Movida — Nightlife MoU

Encouraging residents and city users to use public spaces better while safeguarding public interests.

Milan City Council

Italy

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

Encourage residents and city users to use public spaces better while protecting public interests like safety, security, nighttime rest, urban decorum and lower noise levels and conflicting private interests, such as the right to entertainment and freedom to conduct businesses to meet demand.

CONTEXT

As public spaces have reopened in the wake of the pandemic, social life has returned with a vengeance. Areas of the city well-known for their nightlife appeal often become crowded and noisy late in the evening and in the early hours of the morning. Groups of young and not-so-young people in the streets frequently cause unrest, engage in gratuitous violent behaviour, and play loud music. The surroundings grow overcrowded, littered and degraded, and substance and alcohol abuse, as well as petty crime and pickpocketing, more common.

This context makes it harder for people to enjoy evening leisure, publicans and restaurant owners to conduct normal business, and residents to feel safe in their neighborhood and get a good night’s sleep. Tensions arise between residents and business owners and with City Hall. Law enforcement is a traditional solution in these instances, but it is not always the most useful or applicable. We must successfully manage these situations in order to protect the rights of all and guarantee the quality of the city’s nightlife and nighttime.

Market values will be matched with social and environmental sustainability in an innovative economic approach. Residents and local businesses will be empowered and encouraged to become part of the solutions.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

Night-time scenarios require innovative strategies and efficient solutions to reduce irregular behaviour and excessive alcohol consumption, particularly among youth. Urban safety and quiet neighbourhoods are public assets to be preserved through activities to foster respect, quality social interactions and cohesion in public contexts. Greater coordination is necessary between the policies and activities of public institutions, leisure businesses, and other public and private stakeholders involved in managing youth entertainment establishments and events. To achieve this goal, Milan City Hall, Milan Prefecture, Provincial Health Protection Agency, Milano Bicocca University, Milan’s trade associations and the Italian Auxiliary Security Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which signatories jointly agreed to:

Promote a healthy culture of entertainment among youth that does not rely on drugs or excessive alcohol consumption
Encourage youth to forge creative and original solutions for night entertainment
Hire properly qualified auxiliary security personnel in the most restless nightlife areas

MoU focuses on some of Milan’s most famous nightlife hotspots, including Navigli, Brera and the Porta Venezia Rainbow District, and singles out and monitors specific streets and locations. City Hall encourages third-sector bodies and neighbourhood committees to participate in the project and contribute to solutions.

KEY ASPECTS

Each of the signatories has specific responsibilities and goals within MoU:

City Hall:

Introduce, within existing regulation, restrictions on business opening hours, glass bottles and tin cans, and take-away alcoholic drinks during night hours in monitored areas.
Intensify municipal police surveillance in specific areas at night.
Sponsor projects by local associations and third-sector bodies for a better, socially-responsible use of specific public spaces.
Sponsor projects to successfully manage relevant areas in cooperation with business associations, police and auxiliary security personnel.
Introduce “security coordinators” in at least 50% of participating businesses.
Lead youth communication and awareness campaigns on related issues.
Prevent degradation by providing swift and efficient cleaning services where needed.

Metropolitan Health Protection Agency:

Cooperate with owners’ trade associations and City Hall in training programmes on health issues.

Milan trade associations:

Raise awareness among members and promote cooperation around project goals.
Promote hiring of auxiliary security personnel in cooperation with law enforcement authorities, support the activities of local citizen groups.
Raise third-party funding to employ auxiliary security staff.
Co-organize information campaigns geared toward young customers in members’ businesses; distribute informative materials on the need to respect people’s right to rest.
Cooperate with relevant authorities in training members and their employees to prevent excessive alcohol consumption.
Support and facilitate City Hall’s cleaning activities near members’ establishments.
Cooperate with City Hall to promote youth-oriented street education activities in music and performing arts.

Italian Subsidiary Security Association

Offer controlled prices for hiring of associates.
Support the identification of nightlife area coordinators monitoring subsidiary security operators and their activities in single establishments and eventually of a Senior Security Manager liaising with the Municipal and State Police.
Support training activities for owners, employees and local associations.
Support City Hall and trade associations in organizing security-themed events.

Bicocca University:

Monitor the overall project scientifically and organize periodic representative technical working group boards to improve activity governance.

City Prefecture

Assure support from national police in relevant areas
Coordinate the other signatories and monitor MoU results at least every four months

RESULTS

12 notoriously busy nightlife areas of the City monitored and interested in the project.
Ongoing modifications of City Hall regulation on the sale of alcoholic drinks.
6 schools involved in projects emphasizing lawful behaviour.
Creation of a dedicated work group within City Hall management.
Youth-oriented sporting events and activities in central, iconic areas of Milan.
Tourist promotion of less well-known areas of the city to relieve congestion at must-see nightlife hotspots.
Roughly 3,000 respondents involved in 3 separate surveys of 3 different nightlife districts with activities, interviews and data collection.
6 schools involved in projects emphasizing lawful behaviour
Creation of a dedicated work group within City Hall management
Youth-oriented sporting events and activities in central, iconic areas of Milan
Tourist promotion of less well-known areas of the city to relieve congestion at must-see nightlife hotspots
Roughly 3,000 respondents involved in 3 separate surveys of 3 different nightlife districts with activities, interviews and data collection.

Policy's Website

Susanna

Molteni

Partnerships and Special Projects

susanna.molteni@comune.milano.it

Good Practice