The survey results will be used in creating guidelines for planning and implementing environmentally friendly outdoor lightning for the City of Tampere.
Tampere is one of the first cities in Finland to draw up guidelines for the city’s outdoor lightning that take both biodiversity and human needs into account. The guidelines for environmentally friendly lighting will serve as a tool for planners in the future.
"Additional instructions will be drawn up for planning the city's outdoor lighting, which supports biodiversity and takes into account species sensitive to artificial light in the urban environment," says Anni Nousiainen, who works as an environmental planner in the Environmental Protection Unit. "Our work now involves gathering information on the species that are sensitive to artificial light in the Tampere and Pirkanmaa region," she continues.
The city's outdoor lighting is a sum of many factors, consisting of street lighting, target lighting, park lighting and open space lighting. The goal is usually to produce high-quality lighting that is considered pleasant and increases the sense of security.
"Lighting should not cause harm to the environment or produce light pollution or obtrusive light," says Lighting Designer Annukka Larsen from WSP Finland Ltd.
Now, the aim is to create guidelines that can be followed to create outdoor lighting that not only serves the residents but also supports biodiversity when it is dark.
"The correct use of light should be at the heart of high-quality lighting design. The starting points include the precise direction of light, selecting the right light efficiency and colour temperature as well as lightning control solutions. This work seeks more information to support the lighting planning and implementation of areas sensitive to artificial lighting," says Developer Jussi Kulomäki from the Urban Environment and Infrastructure Services.
The purpose of the resident survey is to understand how residents experience the current outdoor lighting. At the same time, the survey maps clear spots of obtrusive light, dark areas and places to admire natural light.
"Feedback from residents is valuable, and we hope that there will be plenty of answers to help us prepare the guidelines," says Annukka Larsen.
The survey is not used to map faults in outdoor lighting maintenance. Instead, fault reports must be submitted to the fault reporting service.
