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While the nation is striving to accelerate economic growth to achieve Viksit Bharat by 2047, why are we tying ourselves down to the 6AM – 6PM economy?
Already a large portion of economic activities in major metro cities are working 24/7: Airports, Ports, Major manufacturing units (Refineries and other Continuous Process Industries), Power plants, Transportation, Warehousing & logistics, Cold storages, Public Safety, Infrastructure construction, Hospitality, BPO, Software services and many Municipal services (water supply, sewage water treatment, garbage collection & treatment, etc.),
But why stop there? Why not Banks, Stock Exchanges, Courts, Post Offices, Museums, Schools, Colleges, Training Institutes, ITIs, Libraries, Wholesale and Retail, Vehicle and other repair services, Public Gardens, Beaches, Swimming pools, MSMEs, Hospitals, Clinics, Testing Labs, Culture and Leisure, Nightlife, Dining, Music and cultural festivals, and other Government services?
Advantages of a 24/7 economy
- Job creation: A well-planned 24/7 economy will create additional shifts, significantly boost employment and help to gainfully employ our “demographic dividend” .
- Efficient use of capital and resources: Utilization of fixed assets/rolling stock used by businesses and services can be greatly increased. Industries/Businesses no longer have to shut down for a half/one-third of the day. A non-stop production line can boost output, lower unit costs, and enhance economic growth.
- Ease Congestion: Reduce rush-hour congestion, improve cross-town mobility, reduce power demand in peak hours.
- Improve learning opportunities: 24/7 availability of educational and training opportunities can enhance and professionalize our workforce.
- Double the delivery capacity of services that are falling short of requirements, such as Courts, Medical & other Professional Colleges.
- Enhance Climate resilience: As our earth turns hotter by the year, more and more daytime activities can transition to nighttime.
Policies for enabling a 24/7 economy
- Adapting City governance to the 24/7 economy: Create specialized offices that focus on an improved nighttime work/play environment.
- Adapting Public Transport and infrastructure for 24/7 use: Implement 24-hour bus and metro/rail systems to facilitate workforce mobility.
- Energy Reform: Strengthen energy reliability and availability.
- Labour Regulations: Adapt labour laws to accommodate flexible work schedules while ensuring fair compensation, adequate rest, and balancing work and family.
- Security Enhancements: Expand and train law enforcement agencies to create an inclusive and safe environment throughout the day and night to support businesses operating at night, safety of nighttime workers, with minimum impacts on the surrounding communities.
Cities that have taken to the night, and how!
- New York: In the “city that never sleeps”, the Office of Nightlife (ONL) was created in 2017 to serve as the central liaison between nighttime businesses. NYC nighttime economy is estimated to generate over $35 billion in economic activity annually and sustains nearly 300,000 jobs. (3)
- Shanghai: As China’s most cosmopolitan city, Shanghai has strategically positioned the night economy as a critical component of urban vitality and economic growth. In 2019, the city introduced a dual governance model with district deputy mayors acting as “Night Mayors” and industry experts appointed as “Nightlife CEOs (3)
- UK: The nighttime economy is estimated to have contributed 4.1% of GDP in 2022, generating £93.7 billion in revenue and employing one in nine people in some regions. (3)
- The first Night Mayor of Amsterdam was elected in 2003. By 2019, more than 50 cities globally had night mayors or organizations advocating for their night-time economy. They are not only for effective representation of the needs of night-time economy stakeholders, but also for fostering the development of integrated night-time policies, rethinking the operating hours of services and infrastructures and, more generally, mediating between different stakeholders, interests and needs. (3)
- Paris, Tokyo, Genoa, Capetown, Bogota, Seoul, and many other cities are actively encouraging their 6PM – 6AM economies (3)
- Ghana: has launched a country-wide “24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme”. It is an ambitious transformational agenda that aims to reset Ghana’s post- colonial, import-dependent, low-value raw material exporting economy into a modern, self- reliant, and globally competitive economy that works around the clock to deliver productivity, sustainable growth, jobs, and food security for all (4)
Conclusion
The internet, mobile phones, e- and quick- commerce require ‘round-the-clock’ production, distribution, and consumption, and are now considered normal. They are willy-nilly dragging the world to a 24-hour economy. However, the human health and social impact of the economic gains of a 24-hour economy will need to be balanced by adequate policies and laws.
Best practices and expertise to benefit from the experience of other cities that have taken to 24-hour economies are widely available. Progressive Indian metropolises must take this leap.
- Unlocking the Potential of 24-Hour Economies, World Economic Forum, Briefing Paper, July 2025
- Rethinking 24-hour cities: night-time strategies to address urban challenges and thrive, World Economic Forum, January 9, 2024
- Cities After Dark, Baseline Study and Network Roadmap, URBACT.EU, January, 2024
- 24hplus.gov.gh
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.