LET THERE BE LIGHT : CITY BRANDING AND URBAN LIGHTING PRACTICES IN A GLOBAL IMAGE ECONOMY

Abstract

“Cities are potent artefacts, and composing the city artfully as a brilliant backdrop for delight, human interaction and exchange provides the city with an enduring emblem of beauty.” - Robert Tavernor The objective of this dissertation is to question (investigate) the role of urban lighting practices in branding a city’s identity within the global image economy of today. The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) unveiled the lighting plan for the city centre in 2006, which aims to develop a signature image for the city skyline at night, increase the appeal of the beauty of the public spaces and enliven the visitors’ experience , I began to question the motivations and necessity behind this urban initiative and how it has changed Singapore cityscape 3 years on. Intensified globalisation and technological advancements in the past decade have placed cities all around the world competing for recognition, tourism and investments. Similarly, cities today constantly employ image marketing as a mean of enhancing their competitive edge over others, in the hope to increase local employment, income, trade, investment and growth. Cities that fail to market themselves successfully may experience economic stagnation and degeneration . Thus, this dissertation will explore how 'global cities', including New York, Paris, Dubai and Singapore, respond to this fear of being relegated obsolete through the use of lighting in its image marketing efforts. More importantly, it is my priority to discover if URA’s efforts in lighting up the city are implemented to Singapore’s advantage from (1) a global and economic perspective, as well as (2) the implication of these lighting practices and strategies on our local and cultural context.