Local governments are in the best position to frame and manage a number of public services that increasingly need to be user-focused.
Cities and municipalities, big or small, are at the heart of innovation, procurement, implementation, maintenance and evaluation of effective lighting strategies. They are in a process to better understand the implications of new lighting technologies, and develop with all their partners inclusive, balanced and effective strategies for their citizens. Governance issues focus on lighting to increase the quality of life and smart lighting strategies as meaningful solutions to transform cities.
At LUCI, we aim to open our work from global to regional to local and deploy activities on each level.
Created in: 2023
Led by: LUCI and Fluvius
Main objectives
This working group concentrates on small and mid-sized cities (SMSCs). In cooperation with Fluvius and the cities in the Flanders region, the aim of this working group is to:
- Discuss lighting governance issues, common challenges that are specific to small and mid-sized cities.
- Share knowledge & best practices on tried and tested or innovative urban lighting solutions for small and mid-sized cities.
- Promote lighting projects & accomplishments.
Working Group activities
2025
- From 5 to 7 November 2025, the City of Bruges hosted the LUCI Lab Bruges, a special-format event developed by LUCI in collaboration with Fluvius and VVSG (Flemish Association of Cities and Municipalities).
Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Bruges by night, the Lab explored how lighting shapes the nocturnal experience of cities and how thoughtful lighting design reinforces nighttime identity. The event connected the LUCI Lighting Masterplan Working Group with Flemish cities from the VVSG network, bringing together 13 LUCI member cities from 7 countries and 19 Flemish municipalities, fostering dialogue between international peers and local practitioners.
Bruges provided an ideal setting where historical heritage and contemporary ambitions intersect. The programme combined peer exchanges, keynote talks, thematic labs, and on-site night walks, linking theory and practice directly within the city’s public spaces.
Under the guiding theme “Local challenges, global dialogue, collective answers”, cities shared how they address safety, inclusion, and sustainability through light, and how lighting masterplans can act as drivers of broader urban transformation.
Participants explored the Bruges lighting strategy, including the Bruges lantern as a symbolic element of the city’s nighttime identity, as well as the redesign of the station area, integrating contemporary public spaces within a historic urban fabric. Reflections from LUCI cities sparked discussion on how contrasting yet complementary lighting styles can coexist and enrich urban ambience.
Keynotes by architect Luc Schuiten and urban sociologist Mattias De Backer addressed ecological, poetic, and social dimensions of light — from sustainable design to inclusivity and perception of safety.
Three interactive labs focused on key challenges for urban lighting:
1. Ambience & perception of safety – exploring how lighting design influences comfort and inclusion, with a focus on gender-responsive design in cities.
2. Environmental impact & circularity – discussing adaptive lighting, reduced energy use, and lifecycle approaches.
3. Lighting and spatial planning – integrating light as a core element of urban design rather than an afterthought.
Participants rotated between sessions, contributing ideas and exchanging examples from their own cities.
2024
- Inspired by the now well-established LUCI Coffee Bre@ks, Flemish cities share their knowledge and experience on urban lighting during specially created Flemish Coffee Bre@ks since the start of 2024. Six sessions have taken place, and more will follow.
2023
- Fluvius has helped to translate the LUCI Declaration to Dutch and disseminate it in Flanders and in the Netherlands. To also develop relations with lighting organisations in the region (e.g. Netherlands), LUCI has presented the LUCI declaration at a OVLNL Conference in Eindhoven in November 2023.
- LUCI participates in several gathering of the VVSG network to present LUCI’s missions, activities, outcomes of conferences and international exchanges. To enlarge the reach, LUCI has communicated about the SMSC Working Group first in the IBE BIV seminar, and also during an online IBE BIV Back2School webinar.
LUCI member cities involved
Fluvius and its partner VVSG (Flemish Association of Cities and Municipalities), and through them reaching the cities in the Flanders region.
The working group aims to be open in the future to all willing members under 200 000 inhabitants.