CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This study will look at the role of lighting in the perception of safety in the context of the University of Washington, Seattle campus. The purpose of this study is to uncover qualitative and quantitative issues associated with variations of light, with the end result being a preliminary set of design recommendations for campus site lighting. It is an attempt to encourage the process of integrating lighting into landscape design for nighttime use. This study will be both useful and timely, since a planning process is currently underway for the future organization of the campus. The results may be applicable to other campuses and similar public spaces as well. This study can then be used to introduce to the landscape architectural community the need for user-based considerations of nighttime lighting.

ORGANIZATION

The second chapter of this thesis is a literature review. It outlines the multidimensional basis of human response to light. The first portion of the chapter lays out the history of public lighting, setting up the larger context for this work. The second section goes into depth on recent lighting design practice and research, setting up the practical conventions of this experiment. The third section deals with the research that has investigated human perception of the environment and concludes with the concepts that I will be empirically evaluating. The final section explores archetypal ideas of light as the possible driving force behind more thoughtful design.

The third chapter will introduce the research design and the experimental process that was used. The fourth chapter will present the results and analysis. The fifth chapter will state conclusions and recommendations for further directions of study, as well as present some preliminary guidelines for lighting design.

SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION

The background information gathered for this study comes from a broad range of fields and sources, including environmental psychology, anthropology, lighting design practice and history. Because of the broad nature of this background material, this work will be but a brief survey of the research already in existence and will note areas that are deficient.

The experiment itself deals with corridor- or pathway-type spaces, as defined by Lynch [1960]. It will reveal pedestrians' perceptions and experiences of such spaces. Though many previous studies have included the perspective of automobile drivers [William Lam Associates, 2], this study focuses on the pedestrian. The project addresses aspects of security' and lighting aesthetics. Other pertinent issues concerning lighting, namely light pollution and trespass, will be mentioned only in the context of safety.

THE COMPLEX1TY OF LIGHTING DESIGN

In cities, streets and public places are becoming the setting for a 24-hour society. Artificial light has allowed us to extend our working and waking hours well into the night. In so doing, we are creating living conditions that we, as, human organisms, are not biologically adapted to.

We evolved in contact with daylight during the day and with flame as our source of nighttime illumination. The qualities of light cast by the flame are markedly different from that of the modern conventional light bulb, be it incandescent, fluorescent or high-intensity-discharge. The flickering flame allows us not to be overwhelmed by all the information that surrounds us at any given moment. Its ever-shifting light gives us enough visual information to navigate our surroundings and choose on what we want to focus our attention. The light bulb, on the other hand, exposes all. It gives a powerful and constant source of light and we are overwhelmed by textures.

It is commonplace in the United States to rely on quantitative measures in designing public lighting2. This has led to lighting design that takes place in plan view and not in cross-section, which is a much closer representation of how it is actually experienced. One major focus of this study is to uncover the complexity that is added to public spaces by looking at them in cross-section, that is, by looking at the spatial relationships between light and various landscape elements.

The other by-product of plan-view design has been designs whose goal is "adequacy" of light in design. This goal of "adequacy" has removed meaning from the use of light. We assume that the degree to which a place is "flooded" with light is correlated to the effectiveness of that light.

As important as quantity of light may be, the end result of a good lighting design is not measurable by footcandles alone. It is a sum of the quality and quantity of light, with quality being a product of many factors including design, selection and placement of flxtures in consideration of context. One of the main factors controlling how light is used in public spaces is security. In order to ground this study of lighting use in the practical, I will be looking at the how lighting plays a role in the perception of safety in a space.

Lam and Ripman (1977) state that a combination of expectation of danger, absence of shadows and proximity of light sources affect sense of security. In the creation of a good landscape design for night time use, light should be thought of not only for its utility, but also for the magic and intrigue it can bring to the space. Richard Kelly explained that there are three qualities that illumination can add to a space: "focal glow, ambient luminescence and the play of the brilliants." Focal glow is attention grabbing light and can help in wayfinding. Ambient luminance reveals form, and in doing so helps perceived security become realized. The play of brilliants can then provide wonderment and magic to place, exciting us and drawing us further into a space to discover. Quite often the magic of these places can, through light, also help provide a feeling of safety within the celebration of the space.

The University of Washington's Seattle campus provides a wonderful opportunity to explore and test the influence of these variables.

1 This thesis deals with the pedestrians'perceptions of security, rather than actual on-site crime experiences.

2 Since the advent of electric light, there has been a steady increase in the standard amounts of light required to light public spaces(Larson, 24&26).