Artificial Lighting of Micro-Spaces in Urban Centers

Abstract

Night lighting must be taken into account when designing urban public spaces. In urban studies, the urban environment is the support of social processes, and social processes form the requirements for lighting and spatial parameters of the scene. The behaviour of people, their cognitive state and the intensity of communication are the important factors to consider for light design. The key signs of a cognitive state of a person are the number of people around and personal activity mobility. The most characteristic micro-spaces can be selected for various types of environmental behaviour. The paper proposes to use the concept of environmental complexes of micro-, meso-, and macro-spaces for the artificial lighting of a flexible, diverse, but at the same time integral urban environment. Micro-space is perceived as a sphere of personal communication, the so-called “bubble” of social space, and at the same time, micro-space has physical characteristics, including lighting. The basic principles of the light design of the micro-space include such spatial parameters as the size of the “light spot”, the height of the “light ceiling”. Artificial lighting of public spaces reveals the social scenario of using a common space, emphasizes places of communication, meetings, paths of movement, allows you to create a cosy, humane environment.