Outdoor Lighting and Crime - Amper

7.7.4 Lighting practices and the environment
Critics might object that environmental aspects of lighting are right off the track of the
lighting, commerce and crime issue. It is not so, however, as interacting aspects of a complex
system cannot properly be treated in isolation. Changes in outdoor lighting to improve some
particular function inevitably affect many other functions. For example, reducing glare as a
means of allaying the fear of crime would also improve the amenity both of the lit and nearby
unlit areas. Furthermore, unfortunate people with significantly reduced vision 101 would often
be able to see better than is usually the case at present. In particular, they would be better able
to make use of the available light in observation of strangers’ faces at night. 102 It would also
improve their mobility safety by improving the visibility of obstacles and pavement
irregularities.
Some kinds of outdoor lighting should be done away with completely. Tree, shrub and
garden lighting in general is often done at least partly for crime prevention, a reason that is no
longer tenable. The landscape lighting industry could well do the world a service by quietly
disappearing in toto. Schools of architecture, urban design, engineering and fine art should
ensure that all of their library books on landscape, architectural, structural and monumental
floodlighting carry a notice about the adverse effects of these practices.
7.7.5 Searchlights and laser displays
When searchlights and laser beam displays are operated outdoors, it is generally as a means to
attract people for some commercial reason (ILDA 2002). This is hardly any different from
the main function of bright lighting used to attract people to downtown areas, fast food
outlets, suburban shopping malls, theme parks and the like. Now it can be seen that ‘people
magnets’ such as skybeams and outdoor laser displays are likely to contribute to the indirect
effect of light in increasing crime. Unlike conventional outdoor lighting, skybeams and lasers
do not have mobility safety, traffic safety and wayfinding functions. Their commercial use is
entirely non-essential. For some individuals, skybeams also recall the use of searchlights
during the horror of bombing raids during World War 2, and also an event that helped set the
stage for that war: the ‘Oath under the cathedral of light’ at the Nazi Party rally at Nuremberg
in 1936 (Bytwerk 1998). There is already an environmental case (Cinzano 2000e) for a
permanent ban on all commercial, advertising, celebratory, memorial 103 and fund-raising
101 Subnormal vision generally involves one or more of the following: visual field losses,
reduced visual acuity, reduced contrast sensitivity, acquired losses in colour perception, or
reduced sensitivity to low light levels. Depending on definitions, as much as 10% of the
population has subnormal vision. Reduced vision and increased sensitivity to glare are
symptoms of cataract and other conditions. About 6% of Australians aged over 50 will
require cataract surgery within 5 years (Pincock 2003).
102 A contrary argument, also applicable to existing illumination standards based on face
recognition distances, is that face observation also helps criminals to select victims.
103 The memorial twin light-pillar display used at the site of the destroyed World Trade
Centre in New York City was operated for a limited number of weeks and curfewed at 11 pm
on advice from the city’s Audubon Society about bird migration (Harder 2002). Other good
advice not to do it at all went unheeded.
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