Abstract

Awareness of the significance and benefits of properly designed urban lighting masterplans has been growing since the early 21 st century. There are many factors driving this notable change, such as developments in lighting technology, energy conservation, city branding design and economics, environmental impacts, human health and wellbeing, and people-oriented sociological aspects. As the profession of ‘independent urban lighting designer’ is relatively new and still not fully recognised in certain parts of the world, it is essential to establish clear definitions relating to urban lighting masterplans that describe their nature, scope and meaning. In this chapter, with the help of graphics and diagrams, all the necessary steps in the design process and the methodologies used will be introduced. This will make it easier to inform clients, urban planners and other designers about the established approach, and facilitate sharing the work of projects and continuing professional development by disseminating existing research and practical knowledge in this new field. However, none of the above can be achieved if there is no proper process of collaboration in place between stakeholders and no common aim to create a magnificent piece of the city for its users to gather in. Collaboration is necessary in order to achieve creative results as well as to help generate appropriate, original lighting solutions for urban areas outside daylight hours. The intention of this chapter is that more and more city representatives, developers, urban planners/designers, architects, engineers and other members of the design team responsible for designing city lighting will understand that creating appropriate night-time illumination is a complex task, bringing with it enormous environmental and social responsibility. In order to come up with an approach that can minimise any negative issues and take into consideration all aspects of this multifaceted branch of design, cities must devise and fully implement urban lighting masterplans.

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