The Bright Side of Night. International Conference on Perceptions, Costs and the Governance of Urban Lighting and Light Pollution

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The Bright Side of Night. International Conference on Perceptions, Costs and the Governance of Urban Lighting and Light Pollution

Veranstalter
Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung (IRS) (Erkner); Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung (ISR)
Veranstaltungsort
Leibniz-Institut für Regionalentwicklung und Strukturplanung; Flakenstraße 28-31; 15537 Erkner
Ort
Erkner
Land
Deutschland
Vom - Bis
20.06.2013 - 21.06.2013
Website
http://www.verlustdernacht.de/brightnight2013.html
Von
Ute Hasenöhrl, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaften und Europäische Ethnologie, Universität Innsbruck

Despite the largely positive connotations associated with lighting and its multiple cultural and social functions, the use of artificial light in public spaces was – and is – neither universal nor uncontested. Negative impacts on humans and animals, on the aesthetic qualities of town and landscapes as well as the ecological aftermath of energy consumption have been discussed from early on – recently culminating in growing criticism concerning “light pollution”. So far, there are only few general standards or regulations regarding the quantity and quality of outdoor lighting. This is not surprising, as artificial lighting is a highly complex field that involves multiple interests and actors – and empirical research on the topic has only begun in recent years. In order to address the multi faceted issue of artificial lighting adequately, we need to consider the historical, cultural, socio political, environmental and economic dimensions of light in an integrated fashion.

The conference will focus on the humanities and the social sciences including history, literature and arts, geography, urban planning, politics and economics and will discuss various aspects and research approaches concerning lighting and light pollution. The four conference panels will each highlight a different approach:

- Perceptions of artificial lighting,
- Functions and infrastructural provision of artificial lighting as well as lighting practices,
- Lighting conflicts and the governance of outdoor lighting,
- Methods and research approaches for the assessment of perceptions and costs of artificial lighting, light pollution and the night sky.

Programm

Thursday, June 20, 2013

10:00-10:30 Opening
Timothy Moss (IRS Erkner, Germany): Urban Lightmares – An Introduction

10:30-13:00 Panel 1: …and There Was Light
Commentator: Beate Binder (Humboldt-Universität Berlin, Germany)

- Jane Brox (Maine, USA): Out of the Dark. A Brief History of Artificial Light in Outdoor Spaces
- Susanne Bach, Folkert Degenring (University of Kassel, Germany): From Shakespearean Nights to Light Pollution – (Artificial) Light in Fiction
- Don Slater (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK): Configuring Light - Lighting Designers and the Staging of Urban Life

13:00-13:30 Poster Session

14:30-17:30 Panel 2: Lighting up the City
Commentator: Nona Schulte-Römer (Social Science Research Center Berlin, Germany)

- Katharina Krause (IRS Erkner, Germany): Critical Reflections on the Functions of Artificial Outdoor Lighting
- Dennis Köhler (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Dortmund/ Lichtforum NRW, Germany): Lighting Master Plans – Status Quo, Possibilities and Limitations
- Tim Edensor (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK): The Aesthetics, Social and Cultural Effects of Festivals of Illumination. Contrasting Transformations of Space and Place by Lighting
- David Nye (University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark): The Transformation of American Urban Space. Early Electric Lighting, 1875-1915

18:00 Conference Reception

Friday, June 21, 2013

9:15-9:30 Opening
Dietrich Henckel (TU Berlin ISR, Germany): Introduction

9:30-12:30 Panel 3: The Dark Side of Light: Lighting Conflicts and Regulation
Commentator: Andreas Hänel (Planetarium, Museum am Schölerberg, Osnabrück, Germany)

- Ute Hasenöhrl (IRS Erkner, Germany): Lighting Conflicts from a Historical Perspective
- Katharina Krause (IRS Erkner, Germany): The Governance of Urban Artificial Outdoor Lighting
- Martin Morgan-Taylor (DeMontfort University Leicester, UK): Regulating Light Pollution in Europe
- Josiane Meier (TU Berlin ISR, Germany): Protecting the Night Sky

13:30-16:30 Panel 4: Valuating and Evaluating Light and Darkness
Commentator: Lucas Porsch (Ecologic Institute, Berlin, Germany)

- Merle Pottharst, Florian Wukovitsch, Benjamin Könecke (TU Berlin ISR, Germany): The Economics of Night-Time Illumination
- Anja Besecke, Robert Hänsch (TU Berlin ISR, Germany): Valuation of Light and Night
- Kenneth Willis (University of Newcastle, UK): Improved Visibility of the Night Sky. An Economic Analysis
- Terrel Gallaway (Missouri State University, Springfield, USA): The Value of the Night Sky

17:00-18:00 Wrap-Up
Timothy Moss (IRS Erkner, Germany), Dietrich Henckel (TU Berlin ISR, Germany): Towards a Brighter Future?

Registration deadline & Fee
June 20 – 100 Euro
Reduced Fee for Students: 50 Euro

Kontakt

Conference Office

Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Stadt- und Regionalplanung
Hardenbergstraße 40a, Sekr. B4; 10623 Berlin, Germany
+49-30-314-28150

brightnight2013@isr.tu-berlin.de

http://www.verlustdernacht.de/brightnight2013.html