Editorial
Dear Readers, Urban quality derives from the combined presence within a city and each of its parts, of infrastructures, public and private services, a varied range of businesses, architectural and town planning elements (volumes, shapes, colours, thoroughfares, urban furniture, quality and quantity of greenery, etc.), socio-cultural opportunities (political, cultural and social activities, attractions and meeting places) and a salubrious environment. The rapid evolution of artificial lighting technologies is compelling designers to adopt new criteria and methods of work. These criteria combine reduced energy consumption with the enhancement of urban and architectural spaces. Martin Lupton’s article based on the experience of lighting designers illustrates how artificial light is now one of the most important tools at the disposal of planning authorities for improving urban and environmental quality, managing environmental resources and thus, indirectly, supporting social cohesion. New perspectives are opening up for city dwellers, in which the variable scenarios created by light offer a more dynamic way for people to interact with their habitat, together with improved energy-efficiency. As always, the solution lies in the creative use of technologies made available by technical and scientific research… and architecture is the best example. Since they first began, universal exhibitions have always provided a privileged forum for experimentation, and the latest edition held in Saragossa, which we present in this issue, is an obvious example. “Better city, better life” is the motto of the next EXPO, to be held in Shanghai in 2010. This echoes the slogan “Better Light for a Better Life” coined by iGuzzini in its 2002 advertising campaign. We could equally say “Better Light for a Better City”, to make it even clearer that light can play a pivotal role in enhancing quality of life in today’s cities, for the people who live in them and the people who visit them for work or leisure.
Adolfo Guzzini