With the current focus on ecological conservation and budgetary restraint, public lighting is a lever for towns and cities to develop connected and sustainable regions based on their residents’ expectations, needs and uses.
Public lighting has long been a blind spot in urban policy. It scarcely features in national legislation – and is not even mandatory – yet public lighting is a key component in urban development and the effective operation of public spaces. It is also a lever for showcasing urban heritage and making towns and cities more attractive. The ecological emergency and scarcity of public resources have ensured that lighting now occupies a prominent position in regional economic and environmental decision-making.
This may partly be attributed to improved awareness of the ecological dimension in the renovation and modernisation of infrastructure. But equally, for regional and local authorities, urban lighting weighs heavily on their finances and energy footprints: 32% of their electricity consumption and 12% of their overall energy consumption, according to the AFE (French Lighting Association).
The rise of LED
Against this backdrop, LED (Light-emitting Diode) technology has emerged as the key factor in energy performance strategies for urban lighting. Less costly and significantly more energy-efficient than sodium lamps, LEDs now have an estimated market share of between 20% (according to the National Federation of Local Authorities) and 30% (according to the AFE). Its importance is only likely to increase with the 2027 ban on the sale of gas-discharge bulbs and the rapid return on investment in LEDs – generally between five and ten years.
In a prime example of the benefits of LED, teams from Citeos (VINCI Energies) are currently committed to making energy savings of up to 80% as part of a global public performance contract.
But in addition to the improved energy and financial performance, the switch to LED is encouraging local authorities to introduce smart lighting – public lighting design guided by usage and needs analysis.
With LED, lamp posts and electrical cabinets become ideal network infrastructure for data production and the rollout of IoT: sensors to monitor traffic flows, pollution, noise levels, or human or animal presence; surveillance cameras; and connected objects of all kinds.
The switch to LED is encouraging local authorities to introduce smart lighting
The objective for towns and cities is to enhance user comfort, well-being and safety while generating input for regional management and monitoring tools. This means using light of appropriate colour and brightness, and only where and when necessary.
Overcoming technological solutionism
Khadija Tighanimine, Territories Business Line Manager at Omexom, the VINCI Energies energy infrastructure brand, emphasises that while technologically mature and economically proven, the conversion of urban lighting to “smart” technology comes with certain methodological prerequisites. Without these, she warns that it will recreate the frustrations born of the smart city concept and associated “magical thinking”.
“With every major turn in the evolution of towns and cities, we tend to reproduce previous decision-making frameworks and repeat the error of being blinded by technological solutionism, looking at cities with no consideration for the importance of the social sciences.”
This sociologist joined VINCI Energies in 2019. Her roadmap “Promotes use-based logic even in technical business activity”. She explains: “To that end, I developed a method based on the sociology of technique with three main themes: taking a critical approach to technocentrism, restoring control over use, and empowering citizens.”
It was this multifaceted approach that led the city of Lyon to recruit social science experts and forge partnerships with French public bodies such as ADEME and Cerema.
“Every city or town, however small, can organise observation sessions, idea and design workshops, and user journeys, drawing support from partners such as businesses,” says Khadija Tighanimine, who studies the relationship between users and urban lighting. She cites the example of Mulhouse, which used night-time walks to imagine how best to use light to showcase its heritage assets. “Engaging users in policy discussions is like taking out an insurance policy to ensure their support for the decisions made. Consultation, participation and inclusion are critical to the development of connected and sustainable regions.”
Key figures
32%: urban lighting as a proportion of electricity consumption by regional and local authorities
12%: urban lighting as a proportion of overall energy consumption by regional and local authorities
20% to 30%: of public lighting is currently supplied by LEDs
15% to 20%: of existing light fittings are more than 25 years old
Sources: Association française de l’éclairage (French Lighting Association) and Fédération nationale des collectivités concédantes et régies (National Federation of Local Authorities)
03/13/2025
