Essay | Towards the 'Dark City' by Mark Major

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12/08/2024 - Let me be clear right from the start: a ‘Dark City’ is not a place where people fear to walk. It is no more completely dark than a ‘dark sky’ is devoid of moonlight and starlight. Rather, a Dark City aspires to reduce light pollution, light spill, and energy use. It is a place where people’s sleep patterns are not disturbed due to over illumination. A city where the lights in office buildings are off when nobody is at work, where biodiversity can coexist alongside the human population without harm, and where the natural condition of darkness can be experienced along its rivers and in its parks and gardens. Darkness is to a Dark City what landscape is to a ‘Garden City’ – that utopian concept that has helped fill our urban centres with beautiful green spaces over the centuries. It is an attitude, an approach, a philosophy, and a way of life. But what does a Dark City offer besides the environmental advantages mentioned above? Pleasing ambience, visual quietness and a sense of privacy, seclusion, and security - all qualities of the night that can be beneficial to our well-being.

Of course, that is not to say that certain parts of the city should not be bright, vibrant, or even a little brash. Shopping, entertainment, and cultural districts all need to convey a sense of excitement. But it depends on the city. I can’t imagine Las Vegas without the brightness or colour of the Strip or New York without the media facades in Times Square. I can, however, imagine any number of major metropolitan areas across the world with less light in the sky and residents who can sleep without blackout blinds!

Neither is it to negate the critical role that lighting plays in keeping public space safe, secure, and accessible after dark. The primary role of urban lighting is preventing accidents and deterring crime. It must also cater for a wide demographic, ranging from young children to older adults, and supporting people with special requirements, such as the visually impaired or the neurodiverse. Like everything in life, it is a matter of context, degree, and balance.

So, how do we create the Dark City? Once the sun sets, our contemporary urban nightscape is illuminated by both public and private light. Whilst the dusk to dawn street lighting is often designed, installed, managed, and maintained by local government, a large amount of the remaining light is owned and operated by private concerns such as developers, retailers, hoteliers, and advertising companies. As a result, lighting exists as a series of independently controlled ‘layers of light’: Street and amenity lighting, architectural and landscape lighting, public art, and illuminated media all coalesce to form the lit identity, character, and ambience after dark. However, due to a lack of proper design and planning, many of these sources combine to make our streets and open spaces much brighter than they need to be. The street lighting may meet the agreed code, but spill light from office buildings and illuminated signage increases the amount of light to way above what is required. More light than we need means more wasted energy, pollution, and environmental impact. 

So, the Dark City looks to three solutions: Firstly, creating a well-considered lighting masterplan that not only determines how we add light but also retain darkness. Secondly, harnessing technology to create responsive control for each layer, such that it automatically adjusts to provide the right quantity, quality, and distribution of light. And finally, publishing guidance and legislation to help protect the environment from the worst excesses of our artificially illuminated world. Interestingly, lighting is one of the few areas where very little regulation exists. We mandate water and air quality and control pollution in those areas through laws - but we do not do the same for light. Why not? Is it too complex to measure? Too difficult to control? Or simply a lack of understanding? Although setting rules is only as good as the motivation and imagination of those who make and enforce them, they are a way of beginning to moderate the current ‘free-for-all’ in favour of a properly designed environment after dark.

So, if the title of this article had you imagining black-outs, dystopian landscapes, Batman, or Blade Runner, be assured that nothing could be further from my mind. Dark City is a concept that aims to create safe, secure, welcoming, beautiful, and, above all, sustainable urban areas after dark for all of us to enjoy.