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LUCI network explores the Future of Urban Lighting in Busan

The LUCI Annual General Meeting 2022 took place in Busan, South Korea in October 2022. The event, which was jointly organised by LUCI and Busan Metropolitan City, provided the network with the opportunity to connect in person to continue the exploration of the future of urban lighting through sharing insights and perspectives on the topic.

©City-of-Busan-221020_Group-picture

The event was attended by:

  • Over 100 in-person participants
  • 21 cities officially represented from 14 countries
  • Over 20 speakers

Many of the recordings from the rich 2-day programme will are available for LUCI members on the LUCI Hub and LUCI’s YouTube channel.

Opportunities to learn and experience urban lighting in Busan

The event participants learned about the host city’s urban lighting projects and strategies in the plenary session. The presentations by city representative Keon-Soo Nam and academic researchers Sungde Hong, Uh-Chan Ryu and Hyunjoon Yoo were accompanied by in-person visits of the city’s landmarks during the night tours. Visiting the Yeongdo Bridge, Yondusan Park, Bay 101 and Busan Cinema Center at night allowed the attendees to experience the city’s nightscape that showcased the intersection between history and modernity through light. 

Celebrating LUCI’s 20th anniversary

The event continued to celebrate the network’s milestone through numerous occasions: and glasses were raised during a special dinner at the end of the first day where LUCI could blow out some candles. The Busan Metropolitan City marked the celebration with a special message on Gwangan Bridge, one of the city’s landmarks.

Getting inspired during the LUCI Talks

The LUCI Talks gave the floor to three enlightening speakers from various areas of the urban lighting community to share their perspectives on the future of urban lighting on the common topic “Lighting the night of tomorrow”.

  • Miguel Sangalang (Executive Director of the Bureau of Street Lighting, LA Lights, City of Los Angeles) shared his perception of streetlights as potential solutions to our cities’ pressing issues such as mobility and sustainability. 
  • Lighting designer Roger Narboni shared his vision of lighting public spaces to renew our experience of darkness in the city.  
  • Lighting designer Kaoru Mende reminded the audience about the crucial role of light to create new social communities. 

LUCI members can (re)watch all three of the LUCI Talks on the LUCI Hub.

Spotlight on cities

During the International Panel Discussion, panelists from Busan, Glasgow and Singapore as well as recorded presenters from Leipzig and Toulouse shared their perspectives and views on how their cities are considering the need for a better harmony between light and darkness. 

Watch their discussion on LUCI’s YouTube channel.

Open Conference Sessions

In the dynamic format of the series of 15-minute presentations across two parallel tracks, LUCI members were invited to showcase their cities’ lighting strategies, projects and other initiatives. A variety of subareas of the urban lighting topic were shared. For example, darkness as a positive tool for social, artistic and environmental inclusivity was a common topic in presentations by Concepto, Walk the Plank and City of Helsinki. Cities of Leipzig and Lyon showcased the connection between local/national culture and light through the “Festival of Lights” and Light and Art in Public Spaces project. Smart as well as sustainable lighting strategies were shared by Madiun Regency, City of Rabat, City of Jinju and also Louis Poulsen through case studies and surveys. 

LUCI members can rewatch the presentations on the LUCI Hub.

Announcing the winners of Cities & Lighting Awards

The LUCI Cities & Lighting Awards recognised urban lighting projects that reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of urban lighting and show a positive impact on economic, social, and cultural development. The inaugural ceremony celebrated cities that have driven projects with the ultimate aim to improve sustainability and quality of life, and so, LUCI Cities & Lighting Awards winners have been revealed!

Three cities have been awarded and one received a special mention:

1st Place
Konak-Kemeralti Lighting Masterplan – City of Izmir

2nd Place
Tammerkoski rapids, Industrial Heritage Reimagined – City of Tampere

3rd Place
New Gwanghwamun Square Lighting – Seoul Metropolitan Government

Special Mention:

Light+Darkness in the City – City of London Corporation

More information about the winning projects will be shared in upcoming LUCI Coffee Bre@ks, stay tuned! 

LUCI as a growing and developing network

The LUCI community gathered for the General Assembly to discuss activities and projects. At this key annual moment, new members were warmly welcomed to the network – Madiun Regency, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and Istanbul. Representatives of the Madiun Regency were invited on stage to officially sign the LUCI Charter on Urban Lighting.

The new Executive Committee was elected during this key moment for the network. The cities of Jyväskylä, Rabat, Seoul and Glasgow are now leading the LUCI network for the next two years.

Closing session/announcements 

LUCI President Meri Lumela reasserted her trust in the network’s capacity to grow in a sustainable way, in a context of multiple crises. “We have shown some resilience in the two last years,” she said,  “and now we continue to move ahead and bring added value to our cities and to the field of urban lighting”. 

Finally, the “baton” was passed from Busan representatives to the next AGM host city, Jyväskylä, where the aforementioned Charter will be extended/expanded through the adoption of the “Declaration on the Future of Urban Lighting”. Registrations will open soon for this next important event of the network. 

Experiencing the Jinju Lantern Festival

As part of the more informal optional programme, participants were invited to experience the Namgang Yudeung Festival in Jinju, a fellow LUCI member city. This festival, active since the year 2000 and known as one of the world heritage festivals, celebrates light and Jinju’s core product, silk, through recyclable lantern installations placed alongside as well as on the city’s central river gave the network participants a true taste of Korean aesthetic and culture after the content-rich conference programme.

Photos credits © Busan Metropolitan City and © City of Jinju

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