Light Pollution: A Case Study in Framing an Environmental Problem

Stone, Taylor

doi:10.1080/21550085.2017.1374010

Cited by 36 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 21 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…Secondly, potential environmental problems related to, for example, biodiversity and the protection of natural nightscapes have rarely been discussed in the lighting practice [ 37 , 38 , 39 ]. This is mostly owing to the fact that to understand the impact of artificial lighting technologies on biodiversity, at least a basic disciplinary knowledge of ecology is required.…”

Section: Challenges For the Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals

Vega

Zielińska-Dabkowska

Hölker

2021

IJERPH

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Over the past decades, lighting professionals have influenced the experience of the night by brightly illuminating streets, buildings, skylines, and landscapes 24/7. When this became the accepted norm, a dual perspective on night-time was shaped and the visual enjoyment of visitors after dusk was prioritized over natural nightscapes (nocturnal landscapes). During this time, researchers of artificial light at night (ALAN) observed and reported a gradual increase in unnatural brightness and a shift in color of the night-time environment. As a consequence, ALAN has been identified as a relevant pollutant of aquatic and terrestrial habitats, and an environmental stressor, which may adversely affect a wide range of organisms, from micro-organisms to humans. Unfortunately, lighting professionals and ALAN researchers usually attempt to solve today’s sustainable urban lighting problems distinctive to their fields of study, without a dialogue between research and practice. Therefore, in order to translate research knowledge as an applicable solution for the lighting practice and to minimize the impact on the environment, a collaborative framework involving a transdisciplinary process with lighting professionals is crucial to potentially bring the practice, research, production, decision-making, and planning closer to each other. This paper presents a framework to help reduce the existing gap of knowledge, because appropriate lighting applications depend upon it. Access to less light polluted nightscapes in urban environments is just as important as access to unpolluted water, food, and air. This call for action towards sustainable urban lighting should be included in future lighting policies to solve the urgent environmental and health challenges facing our world.

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Section: Challenges For the Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals

Vega

Zielińska-Dabkowska

Hölker

2021

IJERPH

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“…safety, sustainability, modernity); and, it is arguably in a phase of innovation and evolution, driven by the introduction of LED outdoor lighting and 'smart' lighting initiatives. Further, it is a technology presently undergoing a moral and political re-evaluation, due to rising concerns over the costs and impacts of light pollution (Stone 2017;Challéat, Lapostolle, and Bénos 2015). Thus, it allows for brief reflections on how the heuristic principles can be applied, in the service of surfacing values in, and of, urban nighttime lighting.…”

Section: Surfacing Values In/of Urban Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design for values and the city

Stone

2021

Journal of Responsible Innovation

Self Cite

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This paper undertakes a critical and constructive investigation into the applicability of value sensitive design (VSD) and design for values (DfV) methodologies for urban technologies, as a means to envision and enact responsible urban innovations. In particular, this paper focuses on the identification and analysis of values in urban technologies. First, an important methodological critique is highlighted, namely the vague articulation of 'values' in VSD and DfV discourse. Next, cities are characterized as open, dynamic, and evolving systems, with 'urban technologies' as co-shapers of this process. This highlights the unique conditions requiring attention in order to arrive at a robust understanding of the relationship between values and urban technologies. Finally, these insights are combined to propose and sketch six heuristic principles aimed at surfacing and analysing values in urban technologies, offering a refinement of value-sensitive methodologies for the context of urban technological innovation.

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“…Recent years have seen issues pertaining to light pollution being acknowledged in both scientific studies [41] and legal consciousness [42]. Even though light pollution presents a major challenge for international lawmakers due to the diversity of its scope, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) both introduced the autonomous right for every human to transboundary dark-sky landscapes and nocturnal areas.…”

Section: Existing Light Pollution Laws Related Lighting Standards Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Approaches to Reduce Light Pollution from Media Architecture and Non-Static, Self-Luminous LED Displays for Mixed-Use Urban Developments

Zielińska-Dabkowska

Xavia

2019

Sustainability

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Urban environments have become significantly brighter and more illuminated, and cities now consider media architecture and non-static, self-luminous LED displays an essential element of their strategy to attract residents, visitors, and tourists in the hours after dark. Unfortunately, most often, they are not designed with care, consideration, and awareness, nor do they support the visual wellbeing and circadian rhythms of humans. They also increase light pollution which has an adverse effect on the environment. The aim of this study was to estimate the scale of the negative impact of 28 non-static, self-luminous LED shop window displays within a real-life city context along the main shopping street Banhofstrasse in Zurich, Switzerland. An experimental field measurement survey investigation was performed to identify visual luminance with commonly available tools such as a luminance meter and a digital reflex camera for luminance photography. Moreover, the most important global approaches to reduce light pollution were evaluated in the form of existing guidelines, technical standards, and laws, all of which should be considered when specifying illuminated digital advertisements. A literature review and survey results both confirmed the extent of the problem and highlighted, too, the need to better measure, apply, and manage this new technology. The authors’ proposal for improvements involve practical recommendations for the design and implementation of future projects which can positively guide and direct this growing trend.

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Light Pollution: A Case Study in Framing an Environmental Problem

Cited by 36 publications

References 21 publications

Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals

Urban Lighting Research Transdisciplinary Framework—A Collaborative Process with Lighting Professionals

Design for values and the city

Global Approaches to Reduce Light Pollution from Media Architecture and Non-Static, Self-Luminous LED Displays for Mixed-Use Urban Developments

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