Heat changes the equation. As temperatures rise, both the early morning and evening are becoming more important for basic economic and social participation. The dawn economy and the evening city are no longer simply about lifestyle, recreation or nightlife. They are increasingly part of how households adapt to climate stress.
The rise of the“ 15-minute city” has also focused attention on proximity and local access to services. The principle is sound, but spatial proximity alone does not guarantee usability. A service may sit within walking distance while still being difficult to access during periods of extreme heat. A public square may function comfortably at 7am and become hostile by 3pm. A local centre may technically remain open while large parts of the community avoid using it during the hottest hours of the day.
ACCESS DEPENDS ON THE HOUR The lesson from this research is that climate exposure is both spatial and temporal. The Australian findings suggest cities need to think more carefully about how services and infrastructure operate across the day, particularly during summer heat events. This includes practical questions around whether transport begins early enough and continues late enough, when public facilities should adopt extended summer hours, where dawn and evening activity is likely to concentrate, and how lighting, cooling, amenities and public safety are managed at both ends of the day.
For economic development teams, these trends also raise important questions around centre planning and local business resilience. Businesses dependent on fixed daytime trade may face growing pressure during hotter summers, while others will adapt more successfully to changing patterns of movement and consumption. Centres capable of supporting dawn, twilight and evening activity may become increasingly important parts of the urban economy, particularly in middle-ring and outer suburban areas where daytime heat exposure is often more severe and public transport options are weaker.
A NEW DIVIDE OPENS UP The ability to adapt, however, will not be evenly distributed. Shift workers, older residents, lower-income households and people with limited mobility often have fewer options to reorganise activity around the heat. Residents in outer suburban areas with limited early-morning and evening transport face additional barriers. Families juggling work and caring responsibilities may not be able to bring trips forward into the dawn period or delay services until later in the evening.
This creates the risk that climate adaptation becomes uneven. The issue is not only economic. It also affects access to food, healthcare, community services and public life. If cities increasingly rely on evening periods to absorb activity displaced by heat, then safe and reliable access after dark becomes more important, particularly for communities already facing social and economic disadvantage.
CLIMATE ADAPTATION AFTER DARK Climate adaptation is usually framed as a question of engineering and urban form. The Australian evidence suggests it is also becoming a question of economic development and time. Night infrastructure should no longer be treated as ancillary to the functioning of cities, but neither should adaptation be understood solely as a shift towards later hours. In a hotter climate, dawn, twilight and night will all play a greater role in sustaining economic and social life. The climate-resilient city of the future may not simply be greener or denser. It may also begin earlier, operate later and function across a wider range of hours.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
DR SHASHI KARUNANETHY Dr Shashi Karunanethy is Chief Economist at Geografia and one of Australia ' s leading urban and regional economists. He specialises in economic development, labour markets, urban resilience and the changing relationship between people, places and time. His work combines large-scale behavioural datasets, including consumer spending and mobility data, to inform policy on city economies, climate adaptation and the future of work.
DR ANDREINA SEIJAS Dr Andreina Seijas is an internationally recognised urban researcher and consultant specialising in the governance of the night-time economy and 24-hour cities. She is Principal of Night Tank and a
Research Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where her work has focused on how cities can better manage activity across the 24-hour cycle. Andreina has advised governments and organisations around the world on night-time economy policy, urban governance and place management, and is widely regarded as one of the leading global experts in the field.
DEAN MAGEE Dean Magee is Chief Data Scientist at Geografia, where he leads the development of advanced analytics, spatial modelling and behavioural data solutions for governments across Australia. His work focuses on integrating large-scale transaction, mobility and demographic datasets to better understand how people interact with cities and regions. Dean has extensive experience applying data science to economic development, urban planning and resilience, helping translate complex datasets into practical insights for policy and decision-making.
> Take this back to your organisation <
Ask whether your organisation’ s climate adaptation, economic development and infrastructure planning adequately considers when people can safely access places and services, not only where they are located.
Local governments can begin by examining how movement, spending and service use change during extreme climate events, particularly across the afternoon, dawn and evening periods. This can inform practical trials such as extended summer opening hours, earlier or later public transport, improved lighting and amenities, and support for businesses adapting their trading hours.
State government planners, transport and planning departments, and night-time economy advocates should also consider how climate resilience can be embedded into the planning and management of 24- hour places. A useful starting metric is the proportion of essential services, transport routes and activity centres that remain safely accessible and used during the cooler hours before and after peak daytime heat.
VOL 19 NO 2 2026 10 www. edaustralia. com. au