Abstract
Public space lighting (PSL) is indispensable after the natural dark. However, little is known about how much PSL people actually need to feel sufficiently safe in different real-world urban settings. The present study attempts to answer this question by employing a novel real-time interactive approach, according to which, observers use a specially-designed mobile phone application to assess and report the perceived attributes of street lighting and the feeling of safety (FoS) it generates. To validate the proposed approach, a systematic survey was conducted in three cities in Israel—Tel Aviv-Yafo and Haifa, which lie on the Mediterranean coast, and Be’er Sheba, which lies inland. Additionally, instrumental PSL measurements were performed at the same locations. As the study reveals, the necessary level of illumination required by urban residents to feel safe differs by city and is significantly higher in Be’er Sheba, other factors held equal, in compare to Haifa and Tel Aviv-Yafo. This difference may be attributed to stronger daylight that the residents of the desert city of Be’er Sheba are accustomed to, and, therefore, may prefer stronger nighttime illumination. The difference could also be related to the relatively low socio-economic status and somewhat higher crime rates in the latter city. Findings also show a significant and positive association between FoS and instrumentally measured PSL levels, although this association exhibits diminishing returns. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to use an interactive location- and time-based mobile phone technology, which can potentially provide more accurate and reliable assessments, compared to traditional “pen and paper” survey techniques.
Highlights
Public space lighting (PSL), if adequately designed, promotes the feeling of safety (FoS), increases comfort, defines spaces, and forms neighborhood identities [1]
Our analysis indicates that reasonably high assessment of FoS may occur at relatively low illumination levels of 5–10 Lux, and that increasing illumination levels beyond this threshold may result only in a minor rise in FoS levels. This result confirms [52] that the conclusion “the brighter—the better” is a common misconception, which may lead to unnecessary energy waste
Various reports indicate that street lighting is one of the largest energy consumers, accounting for about 40% of outdoor energy consumption [53,54], and that energy efficient technologies and design can cut street lighting costs by 25–60% [55]
Summary
Public space lighting (PSL), if adequately designed, promotes the feeling of safety (FoS), increases comfort, defines spaces, and forms neighborhood identities [1]. An important component of this gratification is feeling safe outdoors. Studies have shown that the percent of people who feel safe drops significantly after dark, as fear increases when visibility is impaired, and fewer people are around [18,19]. This fear often stems from the fact that reduced visibility provides offenders with more opportunities for concealment and makes it harder to identify escape routes [20]
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