EXAMPLES OF POORLY CONSIDERED LIGHTING
Unfortunately, poor lighting doesn't just occur with white LED street lighting, sportsgrounds, billboards, car lots and public facilities. Due to LED lighting technology, a new emerging global trend is changing the way our nightscapes appear.
It's becoming popular to illuminate landmarks and bridges that cross waterways, and to celebrate large artistic light installations, like the one featured above. As pretty as they initially appear, just because we have the ability to light up landscapes at night profusely, colourfully, and cheaply, doesn't mean we should.
In today's world, with greater awareness of the impact of artificial light on ecology, human health, the environment, and the night sky, lighting installations like this, that run for months at a time in a natural setting, for the sake of entertainment alone are untenable. We have a responsibility to do much better than this.
To learn more about the widespread impact and consequences of such projects please read the paper, "An overview of the cognitive and biological effects of city nighttime illumination including a London case study", which explores the challenges cities face today and provides advice and guidance. It can also be downloaded here.
