Search Results (12)

The quality of campus environments plays an important role in the mental health of college students. However, the impact of nighttime lighting in campus settings has received limited attention. This study examines how different landscape lighting conditions affect emotions and the perceived restorative potential, providing a mixed-method research framework to assess nighttime landscapes. The study was conducted on a section of campus roadway under three scenarios: daytime (cloudy conditions) and two nighttime settings (landscape lights and streetlights, and streetlights only). We employed wearable biosensors, visitor-employed photography tasks, affective mapping, interviews, and self-reports to comprehensively assess the participants’ emotional responses and perceptions. Statistical analyses, including the Friedman test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, one-way ANOVA, Getis–Ord Gi* statistic and kernel density analysis, were used to evaluate differences in emotional and restorative perceptions across lighting scenarios. The results showed that nighttime environments with well-designed landscape lighting enhance the restorative potential more compared to street lighting alone and, in some cases, even surpass daytime settings. Skin conductance data, integrated with spatial–temporal trajectories and affective mapping, revealed clear patterns of emotional responses, emphasizing the role of lighting in shaping environmental quality. These findings provide actionable insights for architects and lighting designers to create nighttime landscapes that promote emotional well-being and restoration. Full article

Digital transformation is a crucial option for nightscape tour to balance high-quality experiences and sustainable development in the new era. Tourists’ satisfaction and continuance intention are essential to the development of digital nightscape tour, but related research is insufficient. For this reason, by using the Chinese digital nightscape tour as a case study, this research integrates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) and the design dimensions (ambience, spatial layout, innovation, and cultural contact) to investigate the factors influencing tourists’ satisfaction and continuance intention. The research employed a convenience sampling method, selecting typical Chinese tourists who had experienced the digital nightscape tour as survey participants. A total of 650 responses were obtained. The results of Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) found that, firstly, UTAUT2, satisfaction, and ambience all directly predict continuance intention positively, with satisfaction having the strongest impact. Secondly, among the four variables of UTAUT2, social influence has the strongest impact on continuance intention. Thirdly, the design dimensions of the digital nightscape tour are very important, which indirectly affect continuance intention through satisfaction, with ambience having the greatest influence on continuance intention. The research conclusions help support the high-quality development of the digital nightscape tour. Full article

This study identifies the destination attributes of sustainable urban waterfronts that are frequently mentioned in tourists’ online reviews. We analyzed the influence of these attributes on tourists’ ratings based on stimuli–organism–response theory, and the associations between these destination attributes. The online reviews (both text reviews and star ratings) from TripAdvisor and Google Maps of the sustainable waterfront destinations of the Liuchuan and Luchuan rivers in Taichung city (Taiwan) were collected and analyzed through text and data mining. Destination attributes were grouped into two types: sustainable landscapes (aesthetics, water resource rehabilitation, sustainable lighting, emotional experiences, and low-impact development waterfronts) and sustainable recreational spaces (leisure activities, festivals, inclusive destinations, photography, and tourist experiences). Two destination attributes common to-- both types were identified: nightscapes and waterfronts. These attributes predicted tourists’ ratings through support vector machine analysis. Sensitivity analysis revealed that sustainable landscape-type attributes had a greater impact on tourists’ ratings than the sustainable recreational space type. In addition, three important association rules between twelve attributes were identified and these helped provide information pattern combination attributes from tourists’ comments with support and confidence for the destination attributes. These findings will contribute to urban planning and design in relation to sustainable waterfront destinations. They highlight the need for planners to consider both tourists’ landscapes and recreational needs in order to achieve economic and ecological sustainability. Full article

With the transition to LED lighting technology, multispectral night-time sensors are needed to quantify the changing nightscapes, given the limitations of the panchromatic sensors. Our objective was to quantify the contribution of lighting sources as measured on the ground and examine their correspondence with night-time brightness and color as measured from space. We conducted ground-based measurements of night-time brightness using the multidirectional (top, rear, right, front, left) and multispectral LANcube v2, which was mounted on the roof of a car, over 458 km of roads in central Israel and in Brisbane, Australia. For spaceborne measurements, we used the SDGSAT-1 multispectral Glimmer sensor. We found that spaceborne measurements of apparent radiance were best explained when including all ground-based directional measurements, with greater explanatory power for highways (R² = 0.725) than for urban roads (R² = 0.556). Incoming light in the five directions varied between road classes and land use. In most cases, the variability in night-time brightness and color was greater for urban road sections than for highways. We conclude that due to the spectral mixture of lighting sources, at a medium spatial resolution, the impact of the transition to LED lighting may be more easily recognized from space over highways than in dense urban settings. Full article

(1) The project “Tatort Streetlight” implements an insect-friendly road light design in a four year before–after, control–impact (BACI) approach involving citizen scientists. It will broaden the stakeholder interests from solely anthropogenic perspectives to include the welfare of insects and ecosystems. Motivated by the detrimental impacts of road lighting systems on insects, the project aims to find solutions to reduce the insect attraction and habitat fragmentation resulting from roadway illumination. (2) The citizen science approach invites stakeholders to take part and join forces for the development of a sustainable and environmentally friendly road lighting solution. Here, we describe the project strategy, stakeholder participation and motivation, and how the effects of the alternative road luminaire and lighting design can be evaluated. (3) The study compares the changes in (a) insect behavior, (b) night sky brightness, and (c) stakeholder participation and awareness. For this purpose, different experimental areas and stakeholders in four communities in Germany are identified. (4) The project transfers knowledge of adverse effects of improperly managed road illumination and interacts with various stakeholders to develop a new road lighting system that will consider the well-being of street users, local residents, and insects. Full article

One recent trend in optical remote sensing is to increase observation frequencies. However, there are still challenges on the night side when sunlight is not available. Due to their powerful capabilities in low-light sensing, nightlight satellite sensors have been deployed to capture nightscapes of Earth from space, observing anthropomorphic and natural activities at night. To date, the mainstream of nightlight remote sensing applications has mainly focused on artificial lights, especially within cities or self-luminous bodies, such as fisheries, oil, offshore rigs, etc. Observations taken under moonlight are often discarded or corrected to reduce lunar effects. Some researchers have discussed the possibility of using moonlight as a useful illuminating source at night for the detection of nocturnal features on Earth, but no quantitative analysis has been reported so far. This study aims to systematically evaluate the potential of moonlight remote sensing with mono-spectral Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite/Day-Night-Band (VIIRS/DNB) imagery and multi-spectral photos taken by astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS), as well as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) night-time imagery. Using the VIIRS/DNB, ISS and UAV moonlight images, the possibilities of the moonlight remote sensing were first discussed. Then, the VIIRS/DNB, ISS, UAV images were classified over different non-self-lighting land surfaces to explore the potential of moonlight remote sensing. The overall accuracies (OA) and kappa coefficients are 79.80% and 0.45, 87.16% and 0.77, 91.49% and 0.85, respectively, indicating a capability to characterize land surface that is very similar to daytime remote sensing. Finally, the characteristics of current moonlight remote sensing are discussed in terms of bands, spatial resolutions, and sensors. The results confirm that moonlight remote sensing has huge potential for Earth observation, which will be of great importance to significantly increase the temporal coverage of optical remote sensing during the whole diurnal cycle. Based on these discussions, we further examined requirements for next-generation nightlight remote sensing satellite sensors. Full article

Anthropic pressure is one of the main drivers of landscape change and biodiversity loss. Artificial nighttime light, which can affect species behavior, is an important human-induced threat to biodiversity, but it is often ignored in ecological connectivity research. To mitigate the adverse impacts of artificial lighting on biodiversity, this study integrates artificial nighttime light in landscape ecology and analyzes the influence of artificial nighttime light on landscape connectivity. A quantitative approach integrating nighttime light brightness from a Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) with a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from a Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is proposed to estimate the matrix resistance, which can identify the sensitive areas that are disrupted by nighttime light. It was found that the nightscape in the study area is significantly disrupted by nighttime light and the matrix resistance in the center of the study area significantly increases. Compared to the least-cost routes from the NDVI, the “dark” least-cost ecological corridors constructed using our approach apparently change in both location and distance. The corridors moved to the outer suburbs and rural areas, and the maximum increase in distance of the least-cost paths was 37.94%. Due to less disturbance from human activity and the maintenance of a pristine nightscape, “dark” ecological corridors can reduce the adverse effects of night lights and contribute to biodiversity. However, natural habitats have been greatly affected by nighttime light with the increase in global illumination, and it is essential that we improve public awareness of light pollution and formulate light-reduction policies and legislation. Full article

The technological innovation in the field of lighting and the need to reduce energy consumption connected to public lighting are leading many municipalities to undertake the renewal of public lighting systems, by replacing the existing luminaires with LED technologies. This renovation process is usually aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing maintenance costs, whist improving the lighting performance. To achieve these results, the new luminaires are often characterised by a luminous flux distribution much more downward oriented, which may remarkably influence and alter the perception of the night image of the sites. In this study the implications of the renovation of public lighting systems in terms of lighting and energy performance as well as the effects relating to the alteration of the night image, in historical contexts characterized by significant landscape value, are analysed. Results, along with demonstrating the positive effect that more sustainable and energy efficient lighting systems may have on the lighting performance and energy consumptions of public lighting systems, evidences the impact they may have on the alteration of the nocturnal image. Full article

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. Full article

The scope of the present paper is to promote social, cultural and environmental sustainability in cities by establishing a conceptual framework and the relationship amongst safety in urban public space (UPS), lighting and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based surveillance. This framework uses available technologies and tools, as these can be found in urban equipment such as lighting posts, to enhance security and safety in UPS, ensuring protection against attempted criminal activity. Through detailed literary research, publications on security and safety concerning crime and lighting can be divided into two periods, the first one pre-1994, and the second one from 2004–2008. Since then, a significant reduction in the number of publications dealing with lighting and crime is observed, while at the same time, the urban nightscape has been reshaped with the immersion of light-emitting diode (LED) technologies. Especially in the last decade, where most municipalities in the EU28 (European Union of all the member states from the accession of Croatia in 2013 to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in 2020) are refurbishing their road lighting with LED technology and the consideration of smart networks and surveillance is under development, the use of lighting to deter possible attempted felonies in UPS is not addressed. To capitalize on the potential of lighting as a deterrent, this paper proposes a framework that uses existing technology, namely, dimmable LED light sources, presence sensors, security cameras, as well as emerging techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled image recognition algorithms and big data analytics and presents a possible system that could be developed as a stand-alone product to alert possible dangerous situations, deter criminal activity and promote the perception of safety thus linking lighting and ICT-based surveillance towards safety and security in UPS. Full article

As the necessity for safety and aesthetic of nightscape have arisen, the importance of nightscapes (i.e., nighttime landscape) planning has garnered the attention of mainstream consciousness. Therefore, this study was to suggest the guideline for nightscape planning using electroencephalography (EEG) technology and survey for recognizing the characteristics of a nightscape. Furthermore, we verified the electroencephalography (EEG) method as a tool for landscape evaluation. Therefore, this study analyzed the change of relative alpha wave and relative beta wave and perceived fear of participants depending on twelve nightscape settings (four types of settings: Built nightscape images group with an adult; Built nightscape images groups without an adult; Nature-dominant nightscape images with an adult; and Nature-dominant nightscape images without an adult). Our findings indicate that the most fearful nightscape setting was recorded in Built nightscape images groups without an adult figure in perceived fear result depending on four types of nightscape settings. In Nature-dominant nightscape images, on the other hand, the nightscape setting with an adult figure was more fearful than the setting without an adult. The interaction effect between landscape type (built and nature-dominant) and adult presence towards perceived fear was verified and it showed that the image with adult affects landscape type. For electroencephalography (EEG) results, several brain activities in the relative alpha and beta wave showed significant differences depending on nightscape settings, which situates electroencephalography (EEG) as an invaluable tool for evaluating landscapes. Based on our physiological electroencephalography (EEG) experiment, we provide a new analytic view of the nightscape. The approach we utilized enables a deeper understanding of emotional perception and fear among human subjects by identifying the physical environment which impacts how they experience nightscapes. Full article

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is one of the most obvious hallmarks of human presence in an ecosystem. The rapidly increasing use of artificial light has fundamentally transformed nightscapes throughout most of the globe, although little is known about how ALAN impacts the biodiversity and food webs of illuminated ecosystems. We developed a large-scale experimental infrastructure to study the effects of ALAN on a light-naïve, natural riparian (i.e., terrestrial-aquatic) ecosystem. Twelve street lights (20 m apart) arranged in three rows parallel to an agricultural drainage ditch were installed on each of two sites located in a grassland ecosystem in northern Germany. A range of biotic, abiotic, and photometric data are collected regularly to study the short- and long-term effects of ALAN on behavior, species interactions, physiology, and species composition of communities. Here we describe the infrastructure setup and data collection methods, and characterize the study area including photometric measurements. None of the measured parameters differed significantly between sites in the period before illumination. Results of one short-term experiment, carried out with one site illuminated and the other acting as a control, demonstrate the attraction of ALAN by the immense and immediate increase of insect catches at the lit street lights. The experimental setup provides a unique platform for carrying out interdisciplinary research on sustainable lighting. Full article