Public Lighting Strategies for Sustainable Urban Spaces
The lighting of public space accounts for 60% of public energy use in an average city. It is clear that any reduction that can be achieved will have a significant impact on total energy use and, therefore, on CO2 emissions, without forgetting the positive effects on public finances. The PLUS project makes a significant contribution to decreasing energy use and rationalizing energy consumption related to public lighting. 
It will do so by analyzing the existing public lighting strategies of each partner as well as the actions developed thus far, by means of 'deep dive' visits which will each time focus on a specific environmental challenge in the field of lighting. Successes and shortcomings will be identified, and be compared to the other partners' own experience. Each deep dive will lead to an individual set of recommendations, resulting in an improved public lighting Strategy and Action Plan for the participating cities and regions.
The purpose of this strategy capitalising on existing good practices and results related to energy saving and efficiency, is to offer viable solutions to the environmental challenges each partner faces, later to be financed through Structural Funds OPs. Dissemination of project results is a core activity of this capitalisation project. Matching and accelerating existing knowledge of partners using the deep dive methodology bringing together all relevant stakeholders at partner level will result in high quality strategies which are not only of interest for the partner cities but all over Europe. 
By focussing on new ways of approaching the field of urban public lighting utilising technological innovation, the project contributes to energy efficiency, and ultimately sustainability and economic success. Due to the multi-faceted nature of public lighting, lighting strategies in public spaces may only be designed and implemented in an integrated way, also taking into account aspects of
e.g. urban lighting pollution, citizens' sense of safety, traffic regulation, social cohesion & city marketing. 
The PLUS project unites the following cities and regions, all having clear public lighting strategies or being in the process of developing one: Eindhoven, Nice Côte d'Azur, Lyon, Birmingham, Leipzig, Bassano del Grappa, Plovdiv, Patras, Burgos, Tallinn and Iasi. The consortium is completed with LUCI, the global network uniting cities and lighting professionals. All of these partners are well aware of the multi-faceted role public lighting can take in their community, and of the contribution it may make, if used properly, to the sustainable development of Europe's cities. The consortium as a whole represents an intentionally composed palet of cities/regions bringing in existing good practices that will, as a result of the project, improve their existing public lighting strategies and action plans, or that will further help them realise their ambitions in this field.