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                    Public Lighting Strategy

                    The Public Lighting Strategy provides direction for public and private external lighting throughout the municipality.

                    The strategy aims to enhance people’s experience of the city after dark while ensuring responsible energy use. It promotes improvements to safety and amenity, especially for pedestrians.

                    The strategy is divided into five key themes:

                    • Designing the luminous city
                    • Safety and amenity
                    • Attracting the evening crowd
                    • Designing a sustainable city
                    • Keeping the lights shining.

                    The strategy is written for a broad audience. It is intended to be used by designers, developers, building owners, architects and planners.

                    The strategy was updated in 2021 to reflect changes to the Australian Standard for Control of the Obtrusive Effects of Outdoor Lighting, and changes in technology and the lighting of buildings. The updates have been undertaken in consultation with the Illuminating Engineering Society of Australia and New Zealand Ltd, national, state and local government.

                    The updated strategy ensures that the document remains relevant as the City’s key policy statement on public lighting. Following community and stakeholder engagement, the Public Lighting Strategy 2013 was approved in August 2013.

                    Lighting guidelines

                    The guidelines provide technical guidance to lighting designers to ensure that lighting designs for the city meet City of Melbourne’s required standards and outcomes. They include information such as lighting technical parameters, technologies and furniture (for examples, poles and luminaires) that should be considered to ensure consistency of approach for lighting across the city. 

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