City after 10 pm creating social spaces for the night: a case study of Visakhapatnam/

Abstract

Nightlife in India today consists of various cultural activities such as music concerts, pubs, theatres, museums, markets, drive-ins and social events. The night-time economy and culture can help bring urban centres to life by creating alternative use of land which lies dormant at night, generating revenue through proposed activities and advancing socio-cultural life and vibrancy. It can create new jobs and leisure activities for local communities and visitors. Local authorities, residents, police, local businesses and transport providers should work together to make the night economy a bright sector as it has the potential to generate a huge amount of economic and social. The culture of India is so diverse and adaptable in every way from lifestyle to language that over the years, as highly accommodating individuals, the country has been welcoming various cultures from other countries too. Just like any other culture in India, its Nightlife is distinct and growing. There exists a research gap in terms of how to increase the country's economy through the promotion of night commercial activities, especially in the case of developing countries like India. It is evident from the literature review that there is huge potential in the Night Economic sector. While there are many opportunities to tap, there are also unique challenges in the areas of regulations and supplementary policy guidelines. This thesis will help planners and policymakers to understand the benefits of planning vibrant cities and creating and recycling urban spaces and making urban centres vibrant and inclusive.Visakhapatnam is one of the capital cities in the state of Andhra Pradesh, been developing for the past few years in economy and culture. As the IT sector and allied sectors are expanding, providing nightlife for the target population working in this sector plays an important role the in development of these sectors. The young citizens or the cosmopolitan citizens are looking forward to the sources of entertainment during the late evenings or the nighttime. However, participation in the nightlife is not confined to the IT sector and can span across all economic and social sectors of the city. That is making the nightlife and its economy vibrant and inclusive for all communities. It promotes overall cultural, social, and economic advancement for the city in a nutshell. Within this background, the present research focuses on understanding the scope and need for the development of nightlife in Visakhapatnam. Besides, the effects of nightlife on the city will also be analysed for the present and keeping its future potential in mind. The first task ahead is to identify the potential of nightlife in Vishakhapatnam followed by actualizing it through spatial planning interventions. The thesis aims to propose alternative use of land which is vibrant during the daytime and lies dormant at night. By recycling the use of such land, the thesis will propose interventions that can be adopted across any city.