Reimagining Public Lighting in Vinge
The project explores how smart technology can be used to create safer, more engaging public spaces through a human-centered, value-driven lighting concept. With a focus on the new urban development project in Vinge, Denmark, the aim was to uncover overlooked potential in the smart city discourse — specifically, how lighting design could influence feelings of safety, community, and connection to nature.
Through field research, user surveys, and strategic design tools, this project proposes “Svampe Lampen”, a series of interactive, mushroom-shaped streetlamps designed to enhance nighttime safety and experience in the green heart of Vinge.
Area of Focus – The Smart Urban Space
As cities evolve, smart city technologies often prioritize data, mobility, and infrastructure. But in Vinge’s development plans, one area stood out as underexplored: the integration of technology in everyday public experience — especially in places like footpaths and green spaces.
The challenge identified was twofold:
How to improve perceived safety in underlit areas.
How to do so while respecting and even strengthening the natural and social identity of Vinge.
The project focused on the "soft infrastructure" of the city — paths, trails, and shared green spaces — and the potential for smart lighting to enhance them in a way that’s both intuitive and meaningful.
Background Research & Insights
Visiting Vinge in person revealed a contrast between architectural ambition and missing detail in the pedestrian infrastructure. While green development was central, the actual connectivity and safety for pedestrians after dark was lacking.
Insights:
Limited mention of pathways, sidewalks, or wayfinding in development documents.
Physical observation confirmed poor accessibility and limited lighting in several areas.
Stakeholders included architects, municipal planners, residents, and commercial developers — but future residents’ day-to-day experience seemed underrepresented.
User Needs – What Makes People Feel Safe?
To validate the concept, a small-scale user survey was conducted. It revealed that over half of respondents (54%) did not feel safe walking along unlit paths at night. Furthermore:
100% agreed that brighter lighting would make them feel safer.
100% also said that being able to see where others are on the path would improve their comfort.
These results pointed toward the need for lighting that enhances spatial awareness, visibility of others, and trust in one’s surroundings — especially in dark, unfamiliar areas.
Understanding the People of Vinge
To bridge the gap between research and solution, I used a variety of human-centered design methods to better understand the needs, concerns, and motivations of Vinge’s future residents. These tools helped translate data from interviews, surveys, and field visits into tangible insights — ultimately shaping the tone, features, and personality of the Svampe Lampen concept.
Personas
To ensure empathy in the design process, I developed personas based on survey responses and general demographic assumptions about Vinge’s future population. Each persona represented a segment of the community, such as a young parent walking home from the train station, or an older resident concerned with nighttime safety.
These fictional, but research-informed profiles allowed me to explore how different people might experience the same environment — and what their emotional or practical needs might be in a space like Vinge’s "grønne hjerte".
Customer Journey Maps
Building on the personas, I mapped out typical day-to-night experiences in Vinge, focusing especially on travel to and from transit hubs, or evening walks along the town’s developing paths and trails. The maps helped identify pain points — such as poorly lit areas or unclear paths — and highlighted the emotional highs and lows of those journeys.
These insights directly informed the behavior of the Svampe Lampen — not just to light the way, but to respond dynamically to presence and reassure users during moments of potential uncertainty.
Mood Boards
The visual identity of the Svampe Lampen was inspired by a mix of natural environments, bioluminescence, playful organic shapes, and interactive lighting design. I collected visual references that combined aesthetics of comfort, curiosity, and gentle illumination.
These mood boards helped guide the physical look of the lamp, its materials, and its tone of presence in the landscape — blending seamlessly into nature while remaining clearly artificial and interactive.
VPC and BMC
To ground the Svampe Lampen concept in both user needs and real-world feasibility, I used the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) and Business Model Canvas (BMC). These tools worked together to ensure the project was not only desirable, but also viable within Vinge’s urban development.
The VPC helped me understand what future residents of Vinge truly need — safety, awareness, and comfort in shared public spaces. Using personas and journey maps, I identified fears around dark, empty paths and desires for calm, natural environments. The lamp’s reactive lighting and organic form directly reflect these insights.
With the BMC, I mapped out how the concept could be implemented: who the key partners would be, what resources were needed, and how the solution could be maintained over time. It clarified the roles of stakeholders like the municipality, designers, and citizens, as well as how the lamp could scale within a smart city context.
Together, the VPC and BMC ensured the concept was both people-centered and system-ready.
Introducing the Concept – Svampe Lampen
Svampe Lampen is a network of interactive streetlamps inspired by mushrooms. Placed along key footpaths and trails in Vinge’s green heart, these lamps use motion sensors to respond to the presence of passersby.
When someone approaches:
The light intensifies, illuminating the path ahead.
As the person passes, the light dims back down, conserving energy and preserving the natural atmosphere.
This creates a soft, ambient lightscape that is responsive, gentle, and reassuring — all while maintaining Vinge’s green and organic aesthetic.
Goals:
Improve nighttime safety and wayfinding.
Blend technology seamlessly into nature.
Strengthen the relationship between residents and their environment.
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The prototype was crafted using paper, cardboard, and a lamp modified to include a manual switch (representing the motion-activated function). The design mimicked a mushroom’s organic form and layered textures. Key materials for the envisioned real-world product included weather-treated steel and layered safety glass.
Behind the scenes:
The lamp was based on off-the-shelf parts but reimagined through a design fiction lens.
The prototyping process helped simulate how the product would look, feel, and function in its environment.
Impact, Scenarios & Future Development
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Svampe Lampen creates value on multiple levels:
Socially: Increases feelings of safety and belonging.
Aesthetically: Blends with nature and reinforces Vinge’s identity.
Functionally: Offers energy-efficient, motion-based lighting tailored to user needs.
The lamp was designed as an “enchanted object” — a term coined by David Rose — to create everyday magic through meaningful, non-intrusive technology. It incorporates human behavioral insights such as:
Glanceability: Easily communicates safety via light behavior.
Affordability & usability: Simple and accessible for public use.
Loveability: Its playful, organic form invites emotional connection.
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To visualize the impact of the lamp, two user scenarios were created:
Positive Scenario
David walks home through Vinge after work. The mushroom lamps light up as he walks past, making the path clear and welcoming. His son joins him on the trail, and together they enjoy a safe, beautifully illuminated walk. David reflects on how much safer and more alive the city feels.
Negative Scenario
David expects a well-lit path, but finds that several lamps are broken or too dim. One lamp even blinds him due to faulty angle. Disappointed, he uses his phone light to navigate and wonders if this was really a good idea after all.
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The lamp was designed using David Rose’s Enchanted Objects framework, aiming to blend intelligence with everyday form.
It draws on:
Connection: Smart sensors linking to cloud-based data.
Personalization: Potential for users to set light modes or themes.
Storytelling & Gamification: Light as a communicative, playful medium.
By creating something that feels alive, the lamp encourages people to trust the space around them — not by controlling it, but by responding to it.
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Challenges & Pitfalls:
Getting the light intensity just right — not too harsh, not too weak.
Ensuring weather-resistance and durability.
Addressing economic and maintenance concerns.
Making sure the community embraces and interacts with the lamps meaningfully.
Next steps could include:
Integrating solar panels for energy independence.
Exploring seasonal lighting variations.
Involving real users through community testing and workshops.
Applying tools like the BMC 3-Layer Model to map environmental and social value more thoroughly.
Final Thoughts
The Svampe Lampen project is a humble, design-led intervention that speaks to a larger idea: technology should serve people — not replace, distract, or overwhelm them. In public spaces like Vinge’s green heart, creating safety, beauty, and connection through subtle smart objects could redefine what it means to walk alone at night… and feel at home.
