Confronted with key challenges such as climate adaptation, growth, and social inclusion, cities are re-evaluating how urban areas and services should work, but also about when they need to function. Most city systems are designed for daytime, so most effort and resources are directed to the timeframe 8am – 7pm to support peak residents’ and visitors’ activities, as well as business operations.
However, cities don’t stop at sunset and neither do their people, services or economies. It isn’t only about nightlife or entertainment. The timing of certain activities can be moved into evening hours to accommodate personal or family planning, take advantage of reduced congestion, or avoid extreme daytime heat.
Cities are considering the possibility to change conventional, linear planning models and extend their productivity across the 24-hour cycle. As outlined in the recent paper “Unlocking the Potential of 24-Hour Economies” by World Economic Forum, embracing the 24-hour model can be a powerful lever for inclusive recovery and long-term transformation.
Night-time is consolidated area of urban economies. In New York City, the Office of Nightlife was established in 2017 to support an industry that generates over $35 billion in economic activity and sustains nearly 300,000 jobs. In the UK, the night-time economy contributed an estimated 4% of GDP in 2022, creating about £94 billion in revenue and employing one in nine people in some regions.
There’s big potential even for emerging countries. In Ghana, a 24-hour economy strategy is projected to boost real GDP by over 30% within a decade and generate more than three million jobs in five years, particularly in manufacturing, agriculture, trade, construction, and transport.
Embracing 24-hour economies means unlocking time as a shared public resource, thus redistributing access to spaces and services. Alongside traditional sectors like late-night venues, hospitality and street markets, new patterns of activity include logistics hubs and delivery platforms, co-working spaces, wellness studios and cultural venues experimenting with extended hours.
Of course, night-time adaptation carries some socio-economic costs, and also requires changes on infrastructure, energy systems, mobility and other public services. Today most cities rely on time-bound infrastructures, with public offices closing at dusk, reduced transportation services, and even inconsistent street lighting.
In order to accelerate progress, experts from the World Economic Forum recommend the integration of night-time governance into city systems and the adaptation of essential services such as mobility, public lighting and safety surveillance to grant inclusive access and functionality across the 24 hours.
Smart Lighting solutions are ready to support this transformation by offering city operators the opportunity to define customized lighting patterns for single districts, streets and even single lamps. Streetlights can be turned on/off and dimmed according to programmed schedules, changing them whenever necessary to mirror specific circumstances or events. Smart Lighting Nodes can be integrated with additional motion sensors, vehicle counters, tilt sensors and other devices, triggering condition-based dynamic lighting that truly enables 24-hour economies and emerging city needs.