Jyväskylä claims first prize in 2009 city.people.light awards

Finnish city top in seventh contest to recognize application of light in urban well-being

Gwangju, South Korea – The city of Jyväskylä in Finland has been awarded the first prize in the 2009 city.people.light awards, the annual competition organized by Philips and the Lighting Urban Community International Association (LUCI) to reward projects which demonstrate the contribution lighting can make to the well-being of those who live, work or visit a city or town.

At a ceremony today in Gwangju, South Korea, Mr. Kari Ström and Mr. Pauli Partanen, representing Jyväskylä were presented with the 2009 city.people.light first prize, in recognition of the city’s ‘City of Light’ project. This initiative set out to position the city as a forerunner in outdoor lighting, investing in the latest lighting technology to enhance its architecture.

Being located in central Finland and spending most of the winter months in darkness, Jyväskylä also needed to ensure that lighting provided a strong sense of security for its vibrant and fast-growing population, while ensuring that the extensive use of artificial light is as energy efficient and as environmentally sustainable as possible.

“We appreciated Jyväskylä’s great involvement in using all the potential lighting can offer to stimulate sustainable urban development,” says Iris Dijkstra, an independent lighting designer and president of the multinational city.people.light awards jury. “The City of Light project aims to build high-quality outdoor lighting in a purposeful fashion to highlight architectural gems, as well as to create optical guidance with light. At the same time Jyväskylä will also be able to reduce the energy consumption of its public lighting.”

Jyväskylä is one of five main prize winners in the 2009 city.people.light awards. Joint second prize went to projects in Hangzhou in China and Lachen in Switzerland, while projects in Copenhagen in Denmark and Moers in Germany were also commended with Special Mention prizes. 20 cities submitted entries for this year’s competition, with the six-person jury – made up of lighting architects, lighting designers and municipal lighting managers – deliberating over a number of criteria, including how a lighting project adds to the cultural and architectural heritage of a city, its night-time identity and environmental contribution.

“City leaders have a growing need to provide a welcoming, safe and sustainable environment for those who live, work or visit their cities,” comments Marc de Jong, CEO of the Professional Luminaires business within Philips Lighting. “All of this year’s city.people.light entrants have embraced this need superbly. Philips congratulates all of them – and especially the prize winners – for their creative and innovative approach to addressing the well-being of their residents through the use of lighting.”

Now in its seventh year, the city.people.light awards process has run the rule over 141 cities since its inception. With entrants initially being concentrated in Europe, the awards have now become a truly global competition, with an increasing number of entries coming from cities in emerging economies such as China, Brazil and Russia, as well as elsewhere in Asia and Latin America.

About this year’s city.people.light award winners:

Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä constitutes an example of what an integrated approach of lighting can be. An approach where lighting is a major component of the city’s urban identity, and where concerns for energy efficiency, reducing light pollution and safety, build a lighting respectful of the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants. In Jyväskylä, light is used to its full potential and the jury particularly appreciated the subtle use of lighting not only for major urban projects but also for smaller public spaces and parks where light is in direct touch with the people.

Hangzhou
The jury was impressed to see how strongly this project creates a landmark for Hangzhou, and reinforces the City’s natural and harmonious link with water.
A delicate and yet powerful project which gives a new dimension to the grand canal and reinforces the city’s identity as a whole, in its most romantic and natural aspects
This lighting project which will certainly increase the quality of life of the inhabitants while stimulating touristic and economic development for the city as a whole.

Lachen
This project was particularly appreciated by the jury for the way it was thought in harmony with its urban and natural environment. In this lighting of the port of Lachen, the designers have used light in a sensible and moderate way, creating a gentle landmark and reinforcing the charm and identity of this tourist destination.