For a full list of conferences and speaking engagements, download the extended version of my CV here.

WHY CITIES NEED NIGHTTIME MAYORS
Interview for Metropolis Magazine, July 2016

Andreina Seijas has an enviable title: urban nightlife researcher. Seijas first realized the value of urban nightlife growing up in Caracas, Venezuela, where she witnessed firsthand artistic and cultural interventions that countered people's negative perceptions of the city after dark and encouraged people to engage with the city's nightlife. Since then, Seijas has devoted herself to advocating for policies and partnerships that can help cities become successful, 24-hour cities.

Read the rest of the article here.

LATIN AMERICA IS GETTING ITS FIRST NIGHT MAYOR
Interview for CityLab, July 2016

In most Latin American cities, after-dark hours are associated with clubs, bars and partygoers in the streets, but also with security concerns, crime, and pockets of empty and abandoned urban spaces. "There is a particularly negative view of the nighttime [in Latin America]," says Andreina Seijas, a researcher at the Inter-American Development Bank. "It's associated with insecurity, crime, noise. And city mayors have been reluctant to pursue initiatives because of that."

Read the rest of the article here. 

CALI 24 HOURS: International Night-Governance Forum
Cali, Colombia, July 2016

Cali is the first city in Latin America to designate a Night Manager. I was invited by Cali's Mayor Maurice Armitage and Corpovisionarios to help organize and participate as a speaker in the first regional forum to exchange best practices in night-time urban management.

This forum helped launch Cali's night-time strategy which aims to raise awareness of the advantages of becoming a 24-hour city and to transform it into a safer, more productive and more attractive destination for those who live and visit the city. 

Other international speakers included Mirik Milan (Amsterdam's Night Mayor), Danny Keir (Head of Market Development at Sound Diplomacy), Roberto Guzman (Founder of Chepecletas, an urban initiative from San Jose, Costa Rica) and Omar Cubas (member of AMCHA, an organization to revitalize the historic center in Asuncion, Paraguay).

REVIVE BARRIOS: Chilean Program for Neighborhood Revitalization and Heritage Preservation
Santiago, Chile, June 2016

I participated as a speaker at a workshop organized by the Inter-American Development Bank and SUBDERE (an entity of the Chilean government responsible for supporting the country's decentralization process). The goal of the workshop was to present diverse urban regeneration experiences and approaches to a group of teams involved in neighborhood revitalization and heritage preservation in several Chilean cities. I presented my research on how the night can be an opportunity for both local economic development and social cohesion in urban areas.

NIGHT CULTURES: (il)legalities and the politics of life after dark
Leiden, Netherlands, January 2016

I was invited to present my research on "The night as a space for urban regeneration in Latin America and the Caribbean" at a three-day seminar organized by the Netherlands Institute for Culture Analysis (NICA) at Leiden University.

CAN CRIME BE PREVENTED IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN?
IDB, Washington D.C., February 2015

I was invited to present my research on the benefits of 24-hour cities from a security perspective to a group of twelve journalists from nine Latin American countries who spent a week at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C., learning about crime and citizen security as part of the International Center for Journalists’ (ICFJ’s) “Can Crime Be Prevented in Latin America?” program. Read more about my participation here.

THE CITIES WE NEED / LES VILLES QU'IL NOS FAUT
McGill University, Montreal, February 2015

I was invited to present my research on why 24-hour cities are important from a social and economic perspective at this 2-day conference organized by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC). I presented positive night-time experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean to illustrate why the notion of the night must be addressed from a policy perspective in the region. Read more about my participation here.

Watch a video of the session on The Urban Night presented by MISC Director Will Straw, and featuring presentations by French geographer and urban planner Luc Gwiazdzinski and filmmaker Diane Poitras here.

SAFE PUBLIC SPACES SEMINAR
IDB, Montevideo, November 2014

I presented my research on why night-time cities are important to a group of mayors and public officials in a Safe Public Spaces Seminar organized by the IDB in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Other speakers included: Brazilian urbanist Jorge Mario Jauregui; IDB Specialist Nora Libertun de Duren; security specialist Macarena Rau; Marcelo Roux from the City of Montevideo; and Santiago Boniffati, the Director of EMVIAL (Mar del Plata).

Q&A: ARE 24-HOUR CITIES GOOD FOR YOU?
Online debate via The Guardian Cities, October 2014

I participated in an online live debate to discuss what are the benefits and problems of a 24-hour city, and how does the night-time economy impact the city and the wellbeing of its residents.

Other participants were Oliver Smith, lecturer in Criminology at Plymouth University; William Straw, Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC) and Keith Foley, Head of Night Tube program at London Underground. Check out the debate, including questions from the public here.

24-HOUR CITIES: CHALLENGES OF A NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY
Interview for Chilean Newspaper El Mercurio, October 2014

I was interviewed by Chilean journalist Guillermo Tupper about the advantages and disadvantages of the night-time economy, in the context of existing tensions in the Providencia municipality in Santiago. Tensions began after the local government announced restrictions in hours for retail sale of alcoholic beverages in several areas of the municipality, potentially affecting the sales volume of night venues such as bars and restaurants.

The article mentions two types of night-time policies: those that involve sanctions to regulate night-time behavior (i.e. Providencia), and those that involve education and public-private partnerships to foster quality night spaces (i.e. Sydney).

Read the article (in Spanish) here.