Intelligently managed public lighting can enrich a city’s identity and cultural life. Beautifully illuminated streets, facades, and public spaces invite people to enjoy the city at night, supporting commerce and encouraging people to attend cultural events and special celebrations, both indoors and outdoors. Dynamic lighting experiences can join with thoughtful functional lighting to strengthen the sense of community within the city and the city’s brand on the global stage.

Of course, public lighting costs money, like any other city service. In fact, street lighting represents one of the highest fixed costs for a city, and accounts for as much as 40% of a city’s energy use. Fortunately, cities can now make cost-effective and sustainable choices. The combination of LED street lighting and intelligent lighting management systems, like Philips CityTouch, offer many ways to cut urban lighting energy costs dramatically—up to 70%—while also reducing CO2 emissions and improving the quality of lighting across the city. Intelligent lighting management systems can also significantly reduce administrative and operational costs through remote monitoring, automation, and accurate data on assets and processes.

Remote, intelligent lighting management can have a salutary effect on another important but often overlooked constituency. By scheduling light levels and other aspects of illumination with the natural day/night cycle in mind, a municipality can minimize light pollution and otherwise avoid disrupting the wildlife in and around the city.

Sustainability experts have demonstrated that LED street lighting delivers real economic and environmental benefits, and that connected lighting management can multiply those benefits. City managers owe it to their citizens, and to the environment, to deploy efficient, intelligent lighting operations in their municipalities today.

Learn about our connected outdoor lighting solution CityTouch.