Factors Affecting Pedestrians’ Perceptions of Safety, Comfort, and Pleasantness Induced by Public Space Lighting: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Public space lighting (PSL), if adequately designed, may significantly enhance pedestrians’ sense of safety and comfort. Yet, the accumulated knowledge about subjective evaluation of PSL is still insufficient. This paper presents a systematic literature review, carried out according to the PRISMA guidelines, of factors affecting pedestrians’ perceptions of safety, comfort, and pleasantness induced by PSL. The screening process, which focused on studies combining technical- and observer-based environmental assessments, yielded 53 eligible papers, which were then synthesized according to an adapted model for outdoor place-human relationship. This framework-based review comprehensively highlights a few common findings and practical implications, as well as multiple gaps in research coverage, many inconsistencies, and significant generalization and transferability constraints. As the review indicates, one size does not fit all, and much further research is needed to improve the tailoring of PSL to a range of contextual conditions, such as different climates, cultures, and city characteristics.

The Influence of the Public Lighting Environment on Local Residents’ Subjective Assessment

“…These results are significant in view of the importance of sport and recreational activities as part of a healthy lifestyle in today's society and the efforts of public authorities to provide a range of sports facilities to meet these needs [142]. Some authors have analysed which is the most suitable lighting for pedestrians [143][144][145], cycling [49,146] and sports [147]. Nonetheless, to the best of the authors' knowledge, scarce research has analysed lighting perceptions in the context of recreational activities [148], such as running, from the point of view of citizens themselves.…”

Unveiling Dynamics of Contemporary Cities: The Influences of Urban Form on the Potential for the Socio-Spatial Vitality of Streets

“…But despite the wide street, the sidewalk is confined to one side, while the other is used for parking spaces, lawns, and access to lots. As discussed before, the importance of this variable is a matter not just of vitality but also of public security (Trop et al, 2023).…”

“…between D and the others can be noted, a relatively higher weighted average (12.5), due to lighting conditions and to the presence of nighttime activities (Trop, Tavory & Portnov, 2023;Zhu et al, 2023).…”

Socially inclusive Lighting Design: exploring a method to enhance freedom of movement for marginalised groups.

“…"A new review of the first 50 articles showed that though some of these studies included an overview of gender in their sampling, only six had a gender perspective on perceived safety [16]. A review [26] found that five of the 1315 articles they reviewed focused on how lighting influenced women's perception of safety. The review concluded: "…important knowledge gap is related to the insufficient representation of cultural or ethnic groups."…”