Urban Lighting

Lighting is a major factor in ensuring the safety of people and property in our cities. Seeing and being seen is a necessity that translates into lighting requirements; they are described in terms of visual perception to enable people to move around at night and reduce feelings of insecurity. In addition, urban lighting in all its forms (street lighting, squares, parks and gardens, illuminations and landscape and heritage enhancement) must be seen by political decision-makers as a factor in enhancing the environment and a marker of the city's night-time image in its societal, cultural and economic dimensions.

"Lighting the right way" is the criterion that must drive the various actions of the economic players involved in city lighting: contracting authorities, lighting designers, managers and operators, installers and suppliers of lighting and energy equipment all need to focus on controlling urban lighting to make it sustainable and efficient in terms of operating costs and energy expenditure.

The urban lighting project helps define the lighting installation in its various components (lamps, luminaires, fittings) to meet the "lighting needs" of users. This project is based on lighting standards, which define the quantity and quality of light required. Environmental concerns (energy, limiting nuisance) are now also taken into account, so that night-time ambiences can be enhanced in economically acceptable conditions. The concepts of master lighting plan and master scheme take into account a global vision of the city, and contribute to the establishment of a lighting urbanism that will accompany future developments in the city.

New technologies (new-generation discharge lamps, LED lighting systems) offer solutions for renovating aging lighting systems that are expensive to maintain. While turning off city lights in the middle of the night is a factor of insecurity, management systems help to maintain dynamic lighting that ensures the control of movement and the perception of night-time atmospheres over time.