Urban Lighting Lab launch Bologna
ENLIGHTENme officially launches its Urban Lighting Labs
Over recent months, the ENLIGHTENme Urban Lighting Labs launched in the three ENLIGHTENme cities of Bologna (Italy), Tartu (Estonia) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands).
The Urban Lighting Labs aim to provide a central hub from which to research and implement innovative policies for urban lighting and study full-scale lighting interventions in specific areas of the three study cities. Special emphasis is given to the active involvement of citizens and other local actors such as city officials. This co-design approach has now been set up in the three target districts: Piazza Lambrakis, Savena District in Bologna, Annelina in Tartu and Wildeman in Amsterdam.
The first launch of the local Urban Lighting Lab took place in Bologna on the 13th of May 2022 with a workshop at the Due Madonne Centre located at Via Carlo Carli. The Urban Lighting Lab will closely work with residents, the community and the city in order to generate qualitative data, co-design processes and urban lighting pilot projects. After a welcome and institutional greeting by the District President Marzia Benassi, Simona Tondelli from the Department of Architecture of the University of Bologna gave an introduction to the wider ENLIGHTENme project. This was followed by an interactive workshop that resulted in first concrete insights on how to shape the district alongside improved lighting.
This launch was followed by the kick-off of the Urban Lighting Lab in Tartu on the 19th of May 2022 in the Reval Café, a café right next to the study area of Annelin. Around 30 people gathered to hear more about the project and participate in the workshops. Many participants were specialists who are working on topics related to the urban environment or with elderly people. Many elderly people who live in the district also participated. The deputy mayor of Tartu City, Raimond Tamm, made an opening speech after which Don Slater introduced the project and explained the planned lighting intervention. Many of the participants found the presented information about light new and very insightful. During the first workshop the participants also discussed in a very lively manner what the district could look like and how combining different elements with lighting could make Annelinn a better and nicer place.
Last but not least, Amsterdam launched their Urban Lighting Lab on the 23rd of June 2022 during a public meeting at Station Wildeman where the aims and approach of ENLIGHTENme were presented. This was complemented by a first workshop with local residents, networking events with city development staff and a night walk with the city team.
Please read more about ENLIGHTENme and the Urban Lighting Labs here.