Dubrovnik, Croatia – The city of Leipzig in Germany has been awarded the first prize for its urban regeneration of Richard-Wagner-Platz in the 12th annual city.people.light awards ceremony on 7 November 2014 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The lighting design was done by lighting design office Licht Kunst Licht Bonn/Berlin, who also received the award.

Organized by Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, and the Lighting Urban Community International Association (LUCI), this annual award recognizes urban lighting projects which best demonstrate creative efforts to plan sustainable lighting infrastructure into city redevelopment initiatives for the benefit and well-being of those who live, work, visit or do business in the city. This year the competition had entries coming from all 5 continents making the award contest a global competition. 

Mr. Rainer Barth, representative of the city of Leipzig, commented: “We wanted to pay homage to the historical roots of Leipzig, that’s why we launched a public competition to redesign the lighting through a democratic decision process. The project is an excellent example how to involve citizens and other stakeholders in the preparation of an urban regeneration project. ”

The site of a 10th century market settlement from which the city of Leipzig was born, Richard-Wagner-Platz is steeped in political and architectural history from the Middle Ages through to the fall of Communism. The unique lighting atmosphere carefully matches the city’s architecture with warm white light to illuminate buildings, sculptural fountains and a skate park. Many different interests were incorporated in the final result to create the right atmosphere with modern contemporary LED lighting, preserve and highlight historic fixtures and make significant energy savings for the city.

 “Philips and LUCI created the city.people.light awards more than a decade ago to celebrate the most sustainable urban regeneration projects that creatively use light to improve the lives and experience of citizens and visitors, alike,” said Vojislav Radovic, Philips Outdoor Lighting Manager South District C&EE. “The projects submitted this year were of an outstanding quality and set a new standard for the cities of the future. The Leipzig project was not only innovative for crowd-sourcing ideas from citizens, and delivering city beautification and safety, but also for negotiating the delicate balance of commemorating complex heritage with cutting edge lighting technology.”

Runners up from Copenhagen (Denmark) and Strasbourg (France)

Second prize – Bicycle snake bridge, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Bicycle Snake is a long, red sculptural bridge exclusively for cyclists. It is a unique and exciting ride high above sea level, separating cyclists from pedestrians and sheltering the quay side below. At night, the bridge is softly illuminated with built-in lighting in the hand rail to enrich the area with a bright, visual element. The jury this year was impressed by the limited lighting used, meaning no additional energy consumption for lighting effects and no glare.

Third prize – Place du Château, Strasbourg, France
Place du Château is an iconic square adjoining Notre Dame Cathedral. This project set out to transform it into an outstanding feature of the Grande-Île, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The jury was impressed by the incorporation of light on both vertical and horizontal surfaces, a challenge which was executed in a unique, sophisticated and outstanding way. The rigorous year long preparation process involving citizens included conferences, guided tours, workshops and questionnaires, and added to the credibility of the final result.

For more information about the runners up, special mentions and the People Choice award, see $(GEO{'country_code'})"};