Community Friendly Lighting Training Smart Outdoor Lighting Alliance (SOLA)

Community friendly lighting is a new approach to public lighting that emphasizes lighting quality, visual comfort and improved visibility using white light. Lighting fixtures that mitigate glare using innovative optical design and appropriate color temperature enable lighting designs that preserve neighborhood character and ambiance while enhancing the quality of life and enticing community interaction after dark. Community friendly lighting is pedestrian centric and minimizes the adverse impact of street lighting by eliminating glare, light trespass and sky glow. LED technology can dramatically improve visibility at lower lighting levels saving energy, CO2 and money.

However in an attempt to maximize these savings the quality of lighting often suffers and the impact on public is seldom considered. A major component of community friendly lighting is public outreach and engagement to solicit feedback for those that must live with the consequences. By conducting town hall meetings, pilot tests, walking tours and surveys, city staff can inform the public of plans and give them the opportunity to see and judge options before finalizing decisions. Doing so also ensures acceptance of the installation and enhances public trust. In addition, communities can realize increased savings by using smart controls that match the level of lighting to the level of pedestrian and vehicle activity. Using these controls energy reductions of up to 75% can be achieved. In this presentation we will examine how cities can benefit from new technology, quality lighting design, and improved communication and interaction with the public.

• Learning Objective 1: Upon completion, the participant will understand best practices for public lighting design that include improved visibility, visual comfort, safety, environmental health, and community outreach.
• Learning Objective 2: Upon completion, the participant will explore ways to minimize the negative impact of public lighting on communities by minimizing glare, light trespass and skyglow.
• Learning Objective 3: Upon completion, the participant will discover how innovative optical design, controls and proper spectrum can reduce the negative impact of public lighting on communities, human health and the environment.
• Learning Objective 4: Upon completion, the participant will have studied examples of LED public lighting upgrades that have embraced the principles of community friendly lighting design for the greater health and welfare of all living things.