Making midday light workable instead of waiting for golden hour

I can't always wait for golden hour. Last weekend the only time available for street photos was noon, with hard shadows under every awning and bright patches of pavement. Some frames looked awful, but others had interesting geometric contrast once I stopped trying to make the light soft. Do you intentionally shoot for silhouettes, reflected light and shaded faces at midday? I'd love examples of how you compose around harsh light instead of fighting it in editing.