Cities & Lighting n°12 by LUCI: Finding the right light

In Cities & Lighting Magazine #12 published last month, you will find research, city strategies and practical projects for better urban lighting after dark. The issue explores safety, inclusion, sustainability and attraction while addressing light pollution. Experts and practitioners share evidence and ideas for improving public spaces and protecting the night.

Content Cities & Lighting : Finding the right light

Editorial

Finding the right light : the good news is simple, it works

• Clare Hart, Président of LUCI, Vice-President o Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
• Bruno Paternot, Président of LUCI, Qualified Représentative of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole

Deep Dive

Why the right light matters

• Reframing light at Alton Estate
• Leipzig: rethinking urban lighting through Nature Conservation Week
• What if the night of tomorrow were the one we choose to experience today? By Sara Castagné, lighting designer and CEO of Concepto

Measuring the night: from global gaps to city-level realities

• The LUCI Survey: cities of the frontline
• How cities are dealing with light pollution: LUCI Short Survey, 20 cities
• Grounding measurement within urban contexts
• Strasbourg: implementing the “Trame Noire”
• Bridging the gap: from broad surveys to detailed urban understanding
• Amsterdam: balancing darkness and security

Focus

Montpellier: when high-resolution data are social science converges to tackle light pollution

• The eyes in the city
• Beyond photometry: the human experience
• Mapping social acceptability
• Towards a prioritized action toolkit

Focus Tallinn’s citizen-powered Light Pollution Survey: shaping the city’s nightscape

• The survey
• What citizens told the city
• Tallinn’s lighting guidelines
• Integrating citizen voices with technical expertise
• What’s ahead for Tallinn
• The value of public involvement

Spotlight

Seoul’s good light: regulation promoting culture and urban life

• The river as night spine
• A permanent nightscape strategy
• A legal framework that structures the night
• From design to compliance
• Governance in practice: the Good Light ecosystem
• Measuring and adjusting at scale
• A replicable mode?

Exploring the role of darkness in urban lighting design

• A Europe-wide exploration of night and heritage
• From “fishing darkness” to designing with it
• A shift in governance: integrating darkness into policy
• A projet positioned at the crossroads of climate, culture and design

Perspectives

Lighting infrastructure is a social fact

• Interview of :
• Khadija Tighanimine, Founder of Tessiae

The future of nightscapes: balanced cities, shared skies

• By Ruskin Hartley
• CEO of DarkSky International

Designig light that protects the night

• By Jaap Schuurring
• Head of Customer Learning at Signify Academy

The night asks to be heard

• By Nicolas Houel
• Founder of l’Observatoire de la nuit

LUCI recommends

• Urban Lighting for Health & Wellbeing: New Guidelines
• To interact: Light & Art Map
• To read: An Ode to Darkness – Designing Nightcapes
• To read: Light Pollution: Mitigation measures for environmental protection

Calendar

• 22 September 2026: LUCI Online Speed Dating: Light Festivals & Artists
• 7–8 October 2026 : Seoul Asia Urban Lighting Conference 2026
• 7-8 December 2026: Lyon Creative Lighting Forum
• 14-16 April 2027: LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit Fez 2027

Last page

• 72 City Membres
• 46 Associated Members
• Image credits

Download the issue LUCI

Learn more

• Quesnoy Boutisses: Joint First Prize, 2026 Concours Lumières
• Lighting Design 2055: What Are Themes of the Future? ACE White Paper
• Brumadinho Memorial: Memory Lighting Design in Brazil