Sustainability | International Conference “Shaping Light for Health and Wellbeing in Cities”—Special Issue Is Online Now!
This year, Sustainability has partnered with the International Conference “Shaping Light for Health and Wellbeing in Cities”. Scheduled for 16–17 December 2021, the conference aims to investigate the multifaceted consequences that light has on health and wellbeing in cities.
The Plight of Light
A major consequence of urbanization is an exponential increase in human exposure to electric light at night. Public outdoor illumination and the artificial sky glow created by highly urbanized areas are the main sources of exposure. This is complemented by increasing exposure to light at the individual level through domestic lighting and light-emitting screens, or too little exposure during the day due to shift work or unregulated lifestyles.
The consequences of inappropriate and disruptive light exposure, generated by the urban environment, profoundly affect people’s health and wellbeing, altering their circadian rhythm. These effects cannot be overlooked, especially when they affect vulnerable populations like older adults. Light also shapes urban spaces and social life, thus influencing people’s behavior, moods, and sense of security, as well as social relationships, easing or hampering socialization and participation in civic life.
Although public awareness of light-related health and wellbeing issues is increasing, there is less understanding of how health and wellbeing impacts derived from urban lighting are mediated by the social inequalities present in cities, which, in turn, may determine the kind and amount of light that citizens are exposed to.
Conference Special Issue Is Now Online!
We have teamed up with conference organizers, ENLIGHTENme consortium, to host a Conference Special Issue: "Conference Exclusive Selection: Shaping Light for Health and Wellbeing in Cities". The Special Issue will include a selection of high-quality papers presented at the conference, which will support the collection of evidence on indoor and outdoor lighting impacts on health and wellbeing. The articles will examine various domains, including medicine, social sciences, urban and lighting design, urban planning, and ethics, as well as the tools and policy guidance to support the decision-making processes, ensuring the integration of health and wellbeing in urban lighting plans and policies.