The ILP will be a partner at April’s City & Lighting Summit by the LUCI Association in London
The ILP will be one of four main partners for the landmark urban lighting event, which is being held from Wednesday 23 April through to Saturday 26 April, at London’s Barbican and Guildhall. The other partners are Illuminated River, Visit Britain, and Women in Lighting.
Historically known as the LUCI annual general meeting), the Cities & Lighting Summit is now the association’s main annual gathering for the urban lighting community.
It brings together key decision makers from cities around the world to share common challenges and inspire possible solutions while experiencing the host city’s lighting projects at night.
For April’s event, which is being co-organised with the City of London Corporation, there will be an array of keynote CPD presentations alongside opportunities to go on walking tours of the City of London by night.
These will include a discussion around the challenges and opportunities associated with urban lighting in the City of London; how lighting can work to build safer, more inclusive public spaces after dark; how lighting can pave the way to more sustainable cities; and how lighting can shape the adaptability, resilience, and transformation of cities, among other topics.
The full programme for the event can be found online at https://www.luciassociation.org/events/luci-cities-lighting-summit/
Separately, the LUCI Association is backing a project aiming to redefine darkness as a valuable cultural, aesthetic, and ecological resource within urban landscapes.
The Art of Darkness as Cultural Heritage of Urban Landscape project is being funded by Horizon Europe and co-ordinated by the University of Oulu, which is an associated member of LUCI.
The three-year initiative will unite researchers, cities, and creative professionals to explore the aesthetic, cultural, and sustainability potential of darkness in urban landscapes and cultural heritage contexts, LUCI has said.
Urban lighting professionals from across the globe will gather in London this year for the first-ever LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit, taking place 23-26 April 2025. Co-organized with the City of London, this landmark event is the annual highlight for the urban lighting community, offering a platform to explore how innovative lighting can shape the cities of tomorrow. The summit will focus on three themes crucial for urban lighting development: Sustainability, Health & Wellbeing, and Inclusion. Through expert-led sessions, interactive discussions, and city tours, attendees will exchange ideas and uncover strategies to address these pressing topics. A Global Gathering for Urban Lighting Innovation The LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit 2025 offers a unique opportunity for city leaders, lighting professionals, and urban planning experts to connect, share insights, and be inspired to implement local solutions thanks to global and collective intelligence. Highlights include: • In-Depth Sessions: Panels exploring how lighting impacts accessibility, public health, and environmental sustainability. • Innovative Projects: Insights into global initiatives and their implications for urban wellbeing through lighting. • Immersive Experiences: Guided tours of London’s iconic lighting projects, including the Illuminated River, the world’s longest public art installation. Lighting the Path to Sustainable Cities As cities face a growing need for urban development, sustainability and inclusion, the LUCI Cities & Lighting Summit 2025 comes as a place to inspire actionable solutions through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. London’s dynamic lighting initiatives will provide the perfect backdrop for discussions on climate change, accessibility, and community-focused lighting design
10:30 – 12:00 Urban Lighting in the City of London
Hear from key experts working on the City Lighting Strategy and ongoing projects: understand the context, main features, challenges and opportunities for the future.
- Ian Hughes, Director – City of London Operations
- Mark Major, Director & Benz Roos, Senior Lighting Designer – Speirs Major Light Architecture
- Sarah Gaventa, Trustee and former Director – Illuminated River Foundation
14:00 – 16:00 Parallel sessions
Choose your session! A headline, 2 hours. Come learn and discuss with peers and experts. Speakers will be announced soon.
This session explores how to focus urban lighting and lighting policy on evidence-based strategies to improve the quality of life of diverse citizens. This discussion includes reporting findings and recommendations from the four-year European ENLIGHTENme project, a comparative study of lighting, citizen participation and innovative lighting design in three cities (Amsterdam, Bologna and Tartu), that finalised in February 2025.
Mind the Gap! – a Public-Private approach to enhancing urban lighting.
How can public authorities and private stakeholders work together to provide the best lighting solutions, through the use of design guidelines, policies and best practices to help curate the nightscape after dark and minimise light pollution?
Lighting for all: building safer, more inclusive public spaces after dark
At night, public spaces can feel unsafe, especially for vulnerable groups often due to inadequate lighting. Adding more light isn’t always the solution. How can lighting contribute to making public spaces safer and more inclusive?
This plenary session will explore how a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach can help create well-lit environments that foster safety, accessibility, and inclusivity for all users, at night.
Speakers will be announced soon.
09:30 – 11:00 LUCI Talks: How lighting can pave the way to more sustainable cities
According to the UN Sustainable Development Goal n.11, sustainable cities are those committed to advancing social, economic, and environmental sustainability. To truly achieve this, urban design must account for the interconnectedness of these three pillars. Urban lighting plays a vital role in this balance, contributing not only to quality of life and energy efficiency but also enhancing the cultural profile and aesthetic fabric of a city. In this session, we will explore different angles of sustainability in urban lighting:
- Circular economy and dark infrastructure in urban lighting: the case of the Paris 2024 Olympic Village,
- How to better plan lighting for a softer and greener city: an evidence-based approach in Gothenburg,
- And more to be announced soon!
This session will open up a dialogue between cities and experts from North American and Europe to explore common challenges and good practices to share on both sides of the ocean.
London Calling: How urban lighting can support a thriving and vibrant nightlife
How can lighting impact the attractiveness of places after dark, driving communities, creating a sense of belonging, and supporting the night-time economy, while remaining sustainable.
15:30 – 16:30 Lighting the future, cities at the crossroads of inclusion, sustainability and resilience
In the Summit’s closing plenary, elected officials and key players in the urban lighting field will be invited to share their vision and ideas for the future.
- How is urban lighting evolving to be more inclusive, sustainable, and enhance wellbeing, for a better Quality of Life?
- How can lighting shape the adaptability, resilience, and transformation of cities?
- What are the key challenges and opportunities for urban lighting in the next 5–10 years?
