Conclusion
Rethinking Public Lighting: From Energy Efficiency to Territorial Night Governance

Public lighting is now entering a new phase of transformation.

After an initial decade marked by the technological transition to LEDs and the pursuit of energy savings, local governments are now faced with more complex trade-offs involving biodiversity, health, nighttime activities, and social acceptability.

The challenge is no longer merely to provide better lighting, but to rethink the role of light in regional balances and in how we experience the night, while also incorporating private lighting, whose impact on the nocturnal environment and quality of life is often decisive.

From this perspective, street lighting serves as a barometer of contemporary transformations in local public policy. It highlights the need for cross-cutting approaches—combining technical engineering, territorial governance, and stakeholder participation—to reconcile energy efficiency, quality of life,...