72|A FONDO The value of night and the new technologies Today, urban lighting is an essential part of the public space, but it wasn’t always that way. The his-tory of humanity unfolded with the light of the sun, during the day, and the light from fire, during the night. It is only after the XXth century, with the massification of electricity, that the life style of cities was transformed into a 24/7 culture where light is of the essence for their constant operation.