Lighting in Design November December 2017

A roadmap for lighting smart cities by Amardeep M Dugar

T he Smart Cities Mission is a globally col- laborated urban renewal and retrofitting programme undertaken by the Government of India. Its goal is to develop more than 100 citizen- friendly and sustainable cities that are safe and sophisticated. One key component for any smart city, of course, is urban lighting. Lighting has an overall impact on the orientation, safety, use and visual quality of urban night time environments. While fulfilling technical and security requirements – facilitating movement and illuminating dark areas – lighting also serves basic social and aesthetic functions by influencing how cities are used and perceived by their people. Comprehensive urban lighting schemes, also known as urban lighting master plans, have had very successful outcomes in various cities across the world such as Glasgow (Scotland), Jyväskylä (Finland), Lyon (France), Mel- bourne (Australia) and Vancouver (Canada). Research [1,2], however, reveals that merely adapting successful urban lighting design blueprints of other cities, as opposed to discovering the needs and preferences of the local citizenry, is not always the best approach.Therefore, the planning of smart cities requires academic research identifying those generic urban lighting best practices that are appli- cable across all smart cities. Additionally, academic research is also required to identify specific quali- ties pertaining to each smart city so as to meet all its segmental requirements. Three fundamental questions arise while design- ing the lighting of smart cities [3]: What qualities of urban lighting are critical to establish inviting public realms within smart cities? How should urban-lit elements be generically perceived and interpreted by people so as to be termed as smart cities? What recommendations can be offered for the development and coordination of urban lighting master plans for smart cities? Several resources exist for lighting planners.The Smart Cities Readiness Guide [4] is a collaborative and comprehensive framework put forward by the global Smart Cities Council, against which cities can assess their readiness to innovate – identifying a

path, taking next steps and measuring progress. In addition, a research report [5] has identified eight generic themes for urban lighting by reviewing international lighting master plans, municipal docu- ment analysis and systematic self-observation of a study area. From both these sources, a roadmap for lighting smart cities can be developed.The road- map provides a conceptual framework for lighting strategies that unite key aspects of smart cities such as safety, superiority and sustainability. The eight steps follow here: 1. Provide identity and character Lighting should first provide a baseline identity for all smart cities, and second emphasise the distinc- tive character of each city.The baseline identity can be created, for example, through differentiated luminaires or luminance colours that set apart key neighbourhoods. Highlighting the history, legacy or topography of the city with lighting can then emphasise its distinctive character. 2. Preserve image and elements Lighting should identify and preserve key urban elements that are associated with the image of these smart cities such as gateways, landmarks and views. Luminaire locations can be prioritised and mapped to correspond with the locations of these identified elements. Noting where and where not to place luminaires will enable the preservation and protection of these elements while facilitating their night time use by the public. 3. Integrate sustainable and smart Luminaires should seamlessly integrate smart and sustainable technologies. For example, energy- efficient light sources can be integrated with interactive (timers, proximity and motion sensors) or wireless communication (Bluetooth) systems that respond to user activities within public spaces. The level of detail to which this technological in- tegration is addressed can be purely dependent upon the cultural and local perceptions towards environmental stewardship.

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LiD NOV/DEC 2017