LUCI Publications

Following the International Conference held in Turin in November 2023 in the context of the EU co-funded project LAiPS (Light & Art in Public Spaces), we wanted to report findings and share with everyone the insights of speakers and experts, and deep dive into how light art can bring life to public spaces.

This edition also features:

• A perspective on The future of Light Art in cities by Marco Bevolo, PhD.
• Spotlight articles on Light Art related topics such as the international journey of the co-created Beacon of Hope, but also a view on how Light Art can change the world from creative angles to imagine the city of tomorrow, and an overview of the Light & Art Map, a new tool for cities.

In this 10th edition of the LUCI Cities & Lighting Magazine, we focus on one of the essential layers of our cities: green spaces and urban parks. How to illuminate these spaces is starting to become a major concern for urban policy makers that must respond to different and conflicting needs.

This edition also features:

• Different perspectives on new lighting masterplans of Leipzig and Geneva
• How cities are tackling the energy crisis, featuring examples from Budapest, Vilnius, Paris, Gothenburg…
• A perspective of public lighting and its challenges in Australia
• Introductions to the winning projects of the LUCI Cities & Lighting Awards
• A look at LAiPS and ENLIGHTENme European projects.

The latest issue of Cities & Lighting focuses on how smart lighting is paving the way to a sustainable future – from pilots to large-scale deployments, from challenges to opportunities.

This edition also features:

• Highlights from the cities of London, Medellin, Reykjavik and Rotterdam, among others;
• An interview with the new LUCI President, Meri Lumela, Chair of the City Board of Jyväskylä;
• A different perspective on life and light in the city from Glasgow’s City Urbanist;
• A look at co-creating urban lighting initiatives with partners from the Lucia – Lighting the Baltic Sea Region project

Look at light festivals from a fresh angle and go beyond already much discussed economic and touristic potentials of such events to explore their many other positive aspects. We wanted to start with the why and look at light festivals in Europe, Asia and America.

This edition also features:

• The World Bank’s perspective on the potentials of street lighting and how it can be a catalyst for sustainable growth for cities in Southeast Asia
• Many other articles to highlight the different potentials of urban lighting around the world

With the spread of electric public lighting in the 19th century, the significance of the night fundamentally changed for us human beings. The emergence of 24-hour cities combined with the potentials of smart lighting bring a new paradigm shift and many questions for lighting professionals. Governance of the night is one of the most burning questions to address today, as more and more cities – from Amsterdam to Paris to Sydney – are beginning to realise.

This edition also addresses other major issues for urban lighting professionals – from the more pragmatic issue of coordinating public and private lighting in the public realm, to the question with far reaching implications of the interoperability of smart lighting and data infrastructure.

This 6th edition of the Cities & Lighting magazine remains true to previous editions: broaden our horizons, learn about other lighting cultures and how cities are implementing their lighting strategies.

This is also the objective that led us to Dakar, Senegal in May 2017, to build a regional meeting space on urban lighting for cities from North and West Africa. The focus of this edition is specifically dedicated to lighting in African cities.

In addition to exploring these new dimensions of city lighting in Africa, LUCI has also been creating partnerships with key actors in the field of light such as the IALD and the LSE, which you can read about in the next pages of this issue.

For this 5th Edition of Cities & Lighting Magazine, we focus on a crucial topic for all cities worldwide. How can urban lighting help cities achieve their climate targets? With examples from Paris, Copenhagen, Seattle, Adelaide, Rotterdam and Seoul, in addition to cities from Russia and India, we give you a variety of approaches that show how some ambitious cities are leading the way.

In this issue, we intended to prove that light is used as a tool to change cities in many different ways. Out of all these lighting initiatives and projects, bridges and public squares are often the beating hearts of our cities. Connecting people and co-creating meeting spaces designed with people is definitely a core objective of cities’ urban lighting strategies.

This edition of Cities & Lighting is focused on understanding the topic of light pollution in its many dimensions and it brings together some examples of how cities are tackling the issue today to improve the quality of life of their citizens. We hope that it may help raise awareness and engage further dialogue among cities all over the world.

For cities, addressing light pollution is about finding the right balance – balance between the need for light and the need for darkness; balance between the level of light and perception of safety, balance between developing attractive new lighting technologies and using those new opportunities in a respectful way. Cities and their partners have at their disposal a varied range of measures to tackle light pollution, from prevention to awareness raising and education, harm reduction to regulation.

This new issue of Cities & Lighting magazine takes a step back to look at lighting master plans as they are the backbone of lighting urban policies.

While we are now seeing the second or third versions of the lighting master plans that started to emerge in Europe in the early 1990s, cities have not only conceived lighting policies that create a coherent lighting signature in city centres, they have also allowed for disconnected areas across the city to become part of the whole.

It is fascinating to see the many challenges and concerns of the night-time that can result in such a varied range of solutions and different nightscapes: this is the richness of the LUCI network that favours exchange of experiences on these topics on a worldwide basis.

Starting in the 1980s, the illumination of heritage sites and architectural or institutional symbols of cities was indeed the first major step in using light beyond its most functional aspects. It radically changed the image of many cities, and opened the way to the development of lighting master plans that went far beyond single buildings or the simple objective of promoting the identity of a city.

For cities worldwide, heritage lighting therefore still has a bright future. Through examples and testimonies from lighting professionals, this issue of our magazine shows once again how respect, culture and diversity are key words in lighting up our cities. Three words that take an even greater dimension in this International Year of Light!

LUCI’s new Cities and Lighting Magazine is made for cities, based on their input will contribute to this same objective. It will explore, analyse and look into the ways light can support the urban, social and economic development of cities. As a new voice in the debates and discussions on lighting, it will aim to reflect the specific approach of cities on lighting issues.

Cities worldwide are increasingly realising that urban lighting can provide solutions to some of the major challenges facing our societies. It can play a central role in the sustainable urban development of cities. It is also becoming a real public policy tool for cities that aim to be smarter and more “intelligent”.

Cities are confronted with the question of how to deal with developments toward smart lighting. How can we help cities form their vision on smart lighting, choose their development paths, and support possible actions towards realisation?

The Cities’ Guide to Smart Lighting is a white paper, from cities, for cities. Initiated by LUCI within the framework of the Interreg Northwest Europe co-funded project, SMART-SPACE, this white paper is the result of a one-year collective process gathering cities and experts in Europe and beyond.

This document was co-financed by the SMART-SPACE project funded by Interreg Northwest Europe.

Cities can use light in a variety of ways, leading to very different luminous landscapes, or “nightscapes”.

The nightscape impacts how we move through cities at night and what we see as we do so. Moreover, how municipalities apply light in their urban spaces actually shapes these spaces and our experience of the city as a whole.

Featuring conversations with urban lighting decision-makers – from Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bologna, City of London, Ghent, Geneva, Jyväskylä, Lyon, Rotterdam, Seoul, Shanghai and Strasbourg – this book explores different approaches and common challenges linked to developing nightscapes.

The LUCI publication Light & Art in Public Spaces demonstrates how light and art – from creating a piece of public art with light, to lighting an existing work of art, to illuminating urban underpasses, or transforming buildings into landmarks through light – offers multiple opportunities to cities.

Through case studies from Amsterdam, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Lyon, Rotterdam and Turin, this book provides cities the tools to develop urban light and art projects.

The publication aims to define the concept of social lighting and draws attention to concrete experiences and exemplary practices in this domain with case studies from 12 cities world-wide such as Medellin, Bangkok, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Gwangju, Brussels, and Le Havre, among others.

It is a product of the LUCI Urban Strategies Commission chaired by the City of Liege which had initiated a reflection on the social dimensions of light in collaboration with the University of Liege (LEMA).

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LUCI conferences resulted in the association’s first publication – “Cities and light planning” – presented during the 2010 “Rencontres de la Lumière” conferences.

Based on presentations made at conferences in 2009, the publication brings together chapters by representatives from Paris, Copenhagen, Lyon, Guangzhou, Leipzig and Ghent on their cities’ perspectives, challenges and strategies regarding light planning.

The publication, in English and French, was edited by LUCI in partnership with the INSA – University of Lyon (National Institute of Applied Science).

Lighting is an essential tool for mobility, economy, culture and social cohesion of cities, which has led to the development of urban lighting strategies and projects and events around light.

The challenge is to promote an inclusive public space accessible to all citizens after dark, to improve the safety and comfort of public spaces, to strengthen local identity and economic development, while minimising the environmental and ecological footprint of light.

• Télécharger la Déclaration LUCI pour l’avenir de l’éclairage urbain en français
• Consiga la Declaración LUCI para el futuro del alumbrado urbano en español
• Download de LUCI-verklaring voor de toekomst van openbare verlichting in het Nederlands
• 도시 조명의 미래를 위한 LUCI 선언문을 한국어로 받아보세요

More languages to come… stay tuned!

The LUCI Strategic Plan 2017-2027 was drafted during the year 2016 by a working group of cities composed of Albertslund, Eindhoven, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Lyon and Seoul, following a consultation workshop with LUCI members during the City under Microscope in Gothenburg in April 2016, as well as an online survey collecting feedback from all members.

The Strategic Plan sets out the LUCI mission and vision for years to come. It also explains the strategic orientations of the Association, while creating a framework of Pillars for thematic programs. It will cover the period 2017-2027 and will be reviewed periodically with a mid-point evaluation in 2022.

The LUCI Charter on Urban Lighting aims to bring cities together around common principles in lighting and to mark the network’s commitment to sustainable development. It is the product of contributions from more than 40 cities around the world and more than a year of work led within the network by the City of Leipzig.

This Charter aims to give a clear view of the issues that should be taken into account by sustainable lighting strategies, while simultaneously gathering LUCI members around a common vision of urban lighting. The Charter addresses challenges common to all:  energy efficiency, improvement of the quality of life, maintenance, recycling, light pollution, the cultural and social dimensions of lighting…

Above all, it provides a reference framework within which towns and cities can develop their own lighting strategies.

• Charte LUCI de l’Eclairage Urban
• Carta LUCI del Alumbrado Urbano
• LUCI Charta fur urbanes Licht

Learn about LUCI’s events, projects, publications and other activities.

LUCI Annual Report 2023 I LUCI Annual Report 2022 I LUCI Annual Report 2021 I

LUCI Annual Report 2020 I LUCI Annual Report 2019 I LUCI Annual Report 2018 I

LUCI Annual Report 2017 I LUCI Annual Report 2016 I LUCI Annual Report 2015 I

LUCI Annual Report 2014 I LUCI Annual Report 2013 I LUCI Annual Report 2012 I

LUCI Annual Report 2011 I LUCI Annual Report 2010