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Few cities take public lighting as seriously as Lyon. For France’s second city, it is not just a matter of safety, or even aesthetics. It plays a fundamental role in citizens’ quality of life. Michel Djaoui photographed the city at night for our latest issue The beauty of a city is often judged by its architecture: the art nouveau of Prague, Barcelona’s collection of Gaudí, and Chicago’s, well, everything. This, of course, is always while thinking of those cities in the daytime. But a growing number of cities are recognising that city life doesn’t end when the sun sets and these cities have a leader: Lyon. The second city of France truly is the “City of Light”. One of the first municipalities in the world to introduce a formal lighting masterplan, which it did in 1989, Lyon hosts an annual Festival of Lights, which usually attracts some three million visitors. It also has a massive budget for everyday lighting and, in 2014, the city committed €20 million over six years to fund new schemes. The city has expressly linked urban illumination with quality of life, not solely safety or even straightforward beautification. Where other cities only give deep thought to illuminating monuments or major squares, here the approach is far more complex. For our latest issue, available now, Solène Broussard and Nicolas Fleury wrote about the city’s innovative approach. Michel Djaoui’s images, featured above, accompany the article. |
Photography Michel Djaoui
Words Solène Broussard and Nicolas Fleury |
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