![](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0023/72374/varieties/160w.jpg)
Professor Michele Acuto
Professor of Global Urban Politics at the Melbourne Centre for Cities, Melbourne School of Design, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne
See research profile![Animation of train travelling through train station at night with a map of Melbourne stations over the night sky](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0014/110723/varieties/375w.gif)
Politics & Society
Is Melbourne really a 24-hour city if public transport stops?
Sometimes Melbourne’s public transport goes dark. Our Map of the Month shows it makes life hard – even dangerous – for those in our night-time economy
![Two nurses pushing a person on a trolley into a hospital at night](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0017/110474/varieties/375w.webp)
Politics & Society
Mapping the hidden lives of Melbourne’s night workers
The term night-time economy evokes images of people enjoying late-night activities, but our Map of the Month asks, what of the workers that keep the city running while the rest of us sleep?
![These maps tell us we need to cool our sweltering streets thumbnail image](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0019/72361/varieties/375w.jpg)
Environment
These maps tell us we need to cool our sweltering streets
Our Map of the Month shows the impact of asphalt and concrete on city temperatures, and why we need to ‘de-pave’ and ‘re-plant’ in a warming climate
![The COVID cost for Asia’s informal workers thumbnail image](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0019/75700/varieties/375w.jpg)
Politics & Society
Book extract
The COVID cost for Asia’s informal workers
A new book investigates the ravages of the COVID-19 impact on people in the informal economy across Southeast and South Asia
![Without sustainable cities, global development goals will fail thumbnail image](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0025/85426/varieties/375w.jpg)
Environment
Without sustainable cities, global development goals will fail
Australian cities are integrating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals into their own COVID-19 Recovery Plans, using local action to drive global sustainability
![New foreign relations bill puts ‘city diplomacy’ at risk thumbnail image](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0027/86427/varieties/375w.jpg)
Politics & Society
New foreign relations bill puts ‘city diplomacy’ at risk
The federal government has proposed legislation to veto international city agreements if inconsistent with national foreign policy. But cities are often leading the way on global challenges
![A not so silent night thumbnail image](https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/image/0024/90465/varieties/375w.jpg)
Politics & Society
A not so silent night
Understanding what happens in cities after dark is crucial to global sustainable development, but will also help create a fairer society that values the night-time economy