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Building Services Engineering l November/December 2021
SLL CONFERENCE
Shaping light for health and wellbeing in cities The aim of the forthcoming SLL online conference – 16 and 17 December 2021 – is to investigate the multi-faceted consequences light has on life in cities. Contributions from participants will support the collection of evidence on indoor and outdoor lighting impacts on health and wellbeing. They will be analysed considering their various domains (medicine, social sciences, urban and lighting design, urban planning, ethics, etc) and included in the development of tools and policy guidance to support the decision-making processes, ensuring the integration of health and wellbeing domains in urban lighting plans. See https://www.enlightenme-project-conference.com/ A major consequence of urbanisation is an exponential increase of human exposure to electric light at night. Public outdoor illumination and the artificial sky glow created by highlyurbanised areas are the main sources of exposure. This is complemented by increasing exposure to light at the individual level through domestic lighting and light-emitting screens, or too little exposure during the day due to shift work or unregulated lifestyles. Buyers, manufacturers, regulators, local authorities and end-users all have a vested interest in high-quality, long-lasting, energy-efficient LED products. The qualifications here are
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very important. It is the performance of the LED that determines the financial, energy and carbon savings. However, it is important to understand what LED failure means before we begin to discuss performance. The consequences of inappropriate and disruptive light exposure, generated by the urban environment, profoundly affects people’s health and wellbeing, altering the circadian rhythm. These effects cannot be overlooked, especially when they affect vulnerable populations like older adults who very often suffer disproportionately. Light also shapes urban spaces and social life, thus influencing peoples’
behaviour, moods and sense of security, as well as social relationships, easing or hampering socialisation and participation in civic life. Although public awareness of light-related health and wellbeing issues is increasing, there is less understanding of how health impacts derived from urban lighting are mediated by social inequalities present in cities that may determine the kind and amount of light that citizens are exposed to. Brief details of the various sessions are as follows. Session 1 This session will present papers and presentations focused on urban modelling and spatial statistics for lighting, health and wellbeing. Presentations will cover specific applications of multi-domain urban modelling tools, big data analyses and “Smart Cities” approaches for urban wellbeing using socio-economic and health geospatial data, examples of urban studies on geospatial data for lighting, and lighting detection from satellite data, drones and luxmeter for high resolution and prospect analysis.
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