Abstract
Light is gaining attention as a design element in public space. Its relational and ephemeral aesthetics enable urban transformations beyond the built environment, offering new possibilities for sustainable and inclusive cities. Yet, artificial light remains a relatively new concern in planning, traditionally excluded in drawings and regulations. This paper examines how light’s relational materiality is translated within urban planning and design, and travels as a matter of concern in city governance to become a public thing. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, we analyze municipal lighting policymaking in Gothenburg, Sweden, showing how light’s multiple dimensions—its aesthetics, sustainability, safety, environmental —are mediated through scripting instances such as visualisations, guidelines, comprehensive plans and digital twins, and become part of the bureaucratic organizing of the municipality. The study contributes to understanding how light, through such organizational translations, shifts from an object of design to an object of urban governance - in search for public concern.
Keywords
translation; scripting processes; lighting; bureaucracy; urban design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1718
Citation
Vildinge, C., and Raviola, E. (2026) Design things in search for public concern: A study of how urban lighting is scripted in the City of Gothenburg, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1718
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Design things in search for public concern: A study of how urban lighting is scripted in the City of Gothenburg
Light is gaining attention as a design element in public space. Its relational and ephemeral aesthetics enable urban transformations beyond the built environment, offering new possibilities for sustainable and inclusive cities. Yet, artificial light remains a relatively new concern in planning, traditionally excluded in drawings and regulations. This paper examines how light’s relational materiality is translated within urban planning and design, and travels as a matter of concern in city governance to become a public thing. Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, we analyze municipal lighting policymaking in Gothenburg, Sweden, showing how light’s multiple dimensions—its aesthetics, sustainability, safety, environmental —are mediated through scripting instances such as visualisations, guidelines, comprehensive plans and digital twins, and become part of the bureaucratic organizing of the municipality. The study contributes to understanding how light, through such organizational translations, shifts from an object of design to an object of urban governance - in search for public concern.