2006, mAAN 2006 conference Tokyo
What is the meaning of a coherent nightscape to Asian Cities?
Asian Cities, upon formulation of their own urban lighting masterplans, had seen its significant impact in urban revitalization and boost in tourism. Also, the relation of a city’s daytime and night-time experience would facilitate in the appreciation of its urban elements and ease in navigation. Due to the rapid urban development problem most Asian cities faced, the resultant visual experience is definitely one that is disorganized, or sometimes even chaotic. Lighting masterplan would definitely allow a certain order in the visual environment, and to highlight elements that are fundamentally important in navigation. Examples like Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Tokyo had successfully implemented lighting masterplans in a variety of scales, to create a pleasing nightscape of appropriate lighting level, while highlighting distinctive urban elements to allow its appreciation even during darkness. In addition, from the increasing number of Asian Cities in LUCI (Lighting for Urban Community International), it is evident of the awareness in the provision of a well-lit environment in this region.
What is the design basis to providing a well-lit environment?
Imageability of a city is important for human’s enjoyment of urban spaces, of which parallels to how these visual anchors could serve as important design basis in the conceptualization of urban lighting master plans, were noted. From academic reviews, case studies and experience in formulating urban lighting masterplans, research hypothesis is that there are fundamental design basis in the formulation of good urban lighting master plans. This research shall seek case-studies and literature reviews to establish design basis, of which experiments on a test site might be done to justify the existence of such design basis. Admittedly, international lighting codes are required to provide the design basis for on the technical aspects in the lighting of each urban spaces, but what is primarily significant in urban lighting is not the engineering of these visual environment to certain quantitative values, but the appeal to fundamental human perception needs.
