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3. Lighting Standards The SCCP understands the unique influence that lighting can have in an area. Lighting impacts humans as well as wildlife, the SCCP is committed to ensuring the undesirable impacts are minimal and the desirable impacts are maximized. Street lighting is critical to instill a feeling of safety among pedestrians and drivers at night. Streets and sidewalks should be effectively illuminated to guarantee visibility that is appropriate for the space. Software such as GIS can be used to determine the best placement and type of lighting for a space. Strong lighting standards set by municipalities can create more effective, environmentally friendly, and efficient lighting for public streets and sidewalks. Appropriate lighting can help ensure safety to drivers, pedestrians, and the environment. The artificial lighting a particular area will require is specific to the space. The lighting implemented in a space can determine how the space is used, and by who. Uniform lighting should not be applied to all streets. It is important to recognize that more light does not always create the most activated version of the space at night. Lighting should instead be based on demand and account for energy usage and environmental factors. Things such as “building cover ratio, floor area ratio, tree cover ratio and ground surface albedo explain 88% of the variability of night-time site illuminance uniformity.” 12 Setting specific criteria for lighting by ordinance can improve the health and sustainability of the space. Understanding how light will act and effect a space is essential. The diagram below, by Pan and Du, demonstrates how artificial light interacts with the existing natural and built environment (Image 16.)
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Pan, W., & Du, J. (2021). Impacts of urban morphological characteristics on nocturnal outdoor lighting environment in cities: An empirical investigation in Shenzhen. Building and Environment, 192, 107587.
