Germany is taking a major step toward protecting its nightlife industry. Last week, the country’s federal cabinet approved proposed changes to building regulations that would formally recognize nightclubs as cultural and artistic venues rather than entertainment businesses, a move designed to make it harder for developers to displace clubs through redevelopment projects.
If approved by Germany’s parliament and upper legislative chamber, the new classification would help clubs operate in mixed-use neighborhoods and provide greater protections against the development pressures, rising rents, and noise disputes that have…