In Lund, a large proportion of personal transport takes place by bicycle. In the project Lighting Metropolis, the City of Lund and others have tested how to make spaces both more inviting and safe, while also enabling the use of outdoor environments during the darker hours. The focus has shifted from standardised solutions to the opportunity to try something new. The sub-project is called Gröna stråket and a number of locations along one of the most heavily used cycling routes, from Kung Oscars väg to Nöbbelövs torg, were selected as test environments. Along the route there are many of the challenges the municipality faces when it comes to developing lighting for pedestrians and cyclists. The route passes through parks, residential areas and both over and under heavily trafficked roads.

Susanna Sonesson is a project manager and works at the Technical Administration.

“The vision was to strengthen attractiveness and security and increase people's use of public space,” she says. We wanted to do this by designing, installing and testing new innovative lighting. We also wanted to dare to try new grips that had not been tried before.

In Jaktparken at the centre of Nöbbelöv is a football field, which used to often stand unused during the evening hours. Now the place has been transformed into a “Disco plan” where visitors can choose lighting so that there is either white light with brilliant goals for football games or disco lights in many colors for those who want to do other things — and there is also the possibility to play music through a sound system in a seating bench.

The lighting along the walking and cycling path has been redesigned so that the lights have been positioned according to the vegetation rather than, as is customary, at equal intervals from one another. The lit spaces have been made larger so that potential hiding spots have been eliminated, while at the same time the sense of greenery has been enhanced. Certain trees have been illuminated. Along the way, pedestrians and cyclists reach the underpass Beehive/Bikupan, where a warm light shines from a honeycomb pattern on the tunnel walls. Glaring lights have been removed and replaced with indirect light via concealed light sources, making it easy to see the faces and body language of people you encounter.

In Monument Park, a soft light is used to highlight the Monument but also the greenery so that the place is perceived as more pleasant. In a passageway along a pedestrian and bike path, sensors are used that light up the park when someone approaches and subsequently dim the lighting to 10 percent.

What conclusions have you been able to draw from the project?

“One conclusion is that a place's identity can be lifted at night using location-adapted lighting,” says Susanna Sonesson. In this way, non-places acquire an identity and become important places and citizens are given the opportunity to rediscover their surroundings. This means that there is incredible potential in our city where, with relatively small funds, we can refine the existing so that new functions and meeting places can be created. An example of that is the disco football field.

More about Gröna Stråket

The Department of Environmental Psychology at Lund University has conducted a pre- and post-study along the Gröna Stråket. Volunteers have responded to whether they experience the environment differently than before. The results were positive, and an interesting observation is that a location where nothing has been done is nonetheless positively affected and feels safer through a nearby visible light installation — in this case the disco plane.

Design and lighting design has been done by responsible lighting designer Johanna Hernaeus and concept development in Monument Park and the pedestrian and bicycle tunnel in collaboration with lighting designer Andre Maia at Yoke AS in Copenhagen.

The project is commissioned by the Technical Administration of Lund Municipality. Other partners and suppliers are Kraftringen Service, Mediatec Solutions, Sheet metal press, MSL International, iGuzzini, Philips, Studio Due, Capelon and Fergin.

‍

‍

Metropolis Lighting

Financials: Lightning Metropolis is supported by Interreg Öresund, Kattegatt Skagerack.

Budgetary: 7 312 248 EUROS

Granted funds: 3 656 124 EUROS

Lead partner: Albertslund Municipality

Partnerschappen: Gate 21/DOLL, Copenhagen Municipality, Malmö City, Roskilde Municipality, Helsingborg Municipality, Kalundborg Municipality, Lund Municipality, Frederikssund Municipality, Region Hovestaden, Region Skåne, Aalborg University, IIIEE, Lund University, Technical University of Denmark, Öresund Committee, Zumtobel, Philips, TDC, DONG, Citelum, Kraftringen, Copenhagen, Capacity Invest in Skåne Innovation Skåne AB

‍Project period: October 1, 2015 - September 30, 2018

‍

Foto: Susanna Sonesson

‍