Book excerpt: The night-time economy represents a particular challenge for planners and town centre managers. In the context of liberalised licensing and a growing culture around the '24-hour city', the desire to foster economic growth and to achieve urban regeneration has been set on a collision course with the need to maintain social order. Roberts and Eldridge draw on extensive case study research, undertaken in the UK and internationally, to explain how changing approaches to evening and night-time activities have been conceptualised in planning practice. The first to synthesise recent debates on law, health, planning and policy, this research considers how these dialogues impact upon the design, management, development and the experience of the night-time city. This is incisive and highly topical reading for postgraduates, academics and reflective practitioners in Planning, Urban Design and Urban Regeneration.