The Basic Process of Lighting as Key Factor in the Transition towards More Sustainable Urban Environments
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
MDPI
Materia
Urban lighting Sustainable cities Safety
Fecha
2024-05-11Referencia bibliográfica
Peña-García, A.; Castillo-Martínez, A.; Ernst, S. The Basic Process of Lighting as Key Factor in the Transition towards More Sustainable Urban Environments. Sustainability 2024, 16, 4028. [https://doi.org/10.3390/su16104028]
Patrocinador
AGH University of Science and Technology, grant number IDUB D2/5157Resumen
The design of lighting installations on roads and urban infrastructure has strictly followed
the regulatory requirements of each country for a long time. Based on the traffic intensity, the presence
of pedestrians and the nature of activities within the area, these regulations have been used to establish
the luminance or illuminance levels from or on the pavement, the minimum average uniformity,
the maximum glare and the minimum energy efficiency. Accurate values of these static parameters
are supposed to ensure safety, security, and efficacy, and have traditionally been considered as the
main targets of lighting installations. Therefore, compliance with these regulations indicates whether
an installation is legal or not. Although this philosophy is operative, the reality is different due to
two main issues. First, the progressive ageing of populations, mainly in North America and Europe,
the changing circumstances of traffic flow and modalities and the presence of groves or socioeconomic
factors, might have a strong impact on the safety, security and sustainability of cities. Secondly, the
current regulations leave out perceived safety and security issues, as well as the well-being of people;
that is, how people feel about the city independently of real danger. In this research, the Basic Process
of Lighting (BPL) is formulated including, for the first time, the human factors involved when people
develop their activities under public lighting. Using this framework, the potential factors influencing
human wellbeing and feelings are summarized after being rated by people in a survey distributed
among 133 participants. The results highlight a higher perceived impact of social factors compared to
physical and visual ones.