Not too long ago, we designed outdoor lighting for nighttime safety and visibility, and also used it to reveal the beauty and character of the architecture and landscape. Lighted billboards promoted products and destinations, auto dealers glorified their new automobiles with lumens and sparkle, and cities erected lighting for sportsfields galore. We worried little about the energy used, the light spilling onto neighboring properties, or the glare that sometimes accompanied the lighting installation. We measured our success in footcandles and uniformity of light on the lighted surfaces.
Those were the good ol’ days. We know better now. Here are reasons why we need to be judicious about the use of nighttime lighting …
