Keeping it in the Dark

As a planner for a suburban community, I live along the outskirts of a metropolitan area. Although there are some perks to living in a metro area, there are of course many aspects that I miss from my earlier days of living in a small town. One of those aspects was the dark sky above me at night.

There were many nights that I would lay on the lawn and stare up at the sky. But to get the full effect, I would hop into my car and drive out into the country. In that setting, there were no building lights, no street lights, no lights of any kind affecting my view. From a spot on the roof of my car, I would look up at a pitch-black sky. Dark enough to see thousands of stars sparkling in the sky.

Since those early days, I have been around people who have grown up in a city who marvel at the number of stars on a night with little moonlight. Immediately, I spout out “this is nothing, you need to get far from here, into a rural area, then look up.”  Many have never witnessed the brilliance of a night sky with little-to-no light pollution.

The Urban Impact

Traditional suburban development has resulted in massive fields of parking stuffed with light fixtures. All arranged in a design to provide enough light for safety and security. However, it’s also designed this way to make their building stick out like a sore thumb at night. Commercial businesses especially want their properties to shine, drawing the eye of a passer-by like a moth to a flame.

Yet the visual environment created by this over-abundance of light is overwhelming. Evenings are meant for calm, relaxation from the day’s fill of stimuli. Instead the brilliance of lighting from overlit commercial districts spills over into residential areas, impacting the peaceful enjoyment of their properties.

A Solution

This is why a number of design guidelines and municipal ordinances are starting to include aspects centered not only on lighting design but a push for Dark-Sky compliance. Dark-Sky compliance is a review of the lighting design for a particular development that tries to limit light pollution. The International Dark-Sky Association States that lighting should:

• Only be on when needed
• Only light the area that needs it
• Be no brighter than necessary
• Minimize blue light emissions
• Be fully shielded (pointing downward)

Implementation is Not Straight Forward

However, many times Dark-Sky compliance is easier said than done. Many industrial areas need an extensive amount of light to protect their outdoor parking and storage areas from theft. Also, retail developments want the light to provide a feeling of safety for their customers while drawing attention to their place of business. So an implementation of Dark-Sky principles in a blanket form is near impossible.

Yet, there are still ways to make an impact. Many communities set a candlelight level that they can live with and look for ways that they can make it work. Tastefully done, lower impact lighting can still highlight the architectural details of a commercial building. Yet keep it from becoming a snow globe of light.

Another aspect that helps is the fact that the cost of LED light fixtures is quickly dropping in cost. LED light fixtures provide a directional light that can be pointed downward. This provides for enough light down low, where it is needed. It also limits the amount of light that is cast into the sky. Additionally, LEDs are more energy-efficient, and the long-term cost savings of installing LEDs are starting to outpace conventional lights that have cheaper upfront costs. LEDs can also be dimmed, reducing light pollution during off-hours, while saving business in utility costs.

Where to Start

To find a dark-sky-compliant light, just look for the International Dark-Sky Association’s seal from their Fixture Seal of Approval program. These fixtures are typically fully-shielded and have a low color temperature for the light itself.

To dive deeper into dark-sky-compliant lighting, check out the Lighting Basics page on International Dark-Sky Association’s website.