Vital Cities ~ 24x7, Always On, Maximum Liberty

Sad to read in Der Spiegel a piece from NRC Handelsblad that Amsterdam and Paris -- of all places -- are Europe's Dying Nightlife ~ Fighting for the Right to Party. Reinier Kist writes...

"Europe's nightlife is under threat and Amsterdam is no exception. Restricted opening hours, rent hikes and increased policing are all serving to dampen the party spirit in the Dutch capital. But some revellers are fighting back. Paris' renowned nightlife is on the brink of death -- so many locals say. Last Sunday, musicians, hospitality professionals and nightclub owners in the French capital sounded the alarm over the declining quality of Parisian nightlife by handing over a petition to their mayor. The assembled representatives of the town's party crowd collected 14,000 signatures to support their plea to their fellow Parisians, particularly the ones employed in law enforcement, to be more tolerant of the noise that nocturnal frolicking inevitably entails."

Some of these factors are economic -- complaints about rent, etc, for which I have less sympathy since that's more a matter of market rules -- i.e. supply and demand. But culturally capricious or bullshit bureaucratic rules and regulations -- i.e. arbitrary restrictions on zoning, operating hours, licensing, drinking age, appropriate uses, prostitution, noise, smoking, and all that -- are absolutely atrocious intrusions on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happyness. In short, uncivilized and anti-human. Vital Cities should be always ON -- 24 hours by 7 days a week by 52 weeks per year -- without imposed religious holidays or worse. Residents of a city should appreciate this -- or get out.