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Many people feel unsafe in certain public areas. Dark parks, poorly lit underpasses, or deserted office districts in the evening can heighten fears and lead people to avoid these areas altogether. This not only affects quality of life but also hinders social participation and reduces the appeal of urban and communal spaces. Even the increasing vacancy rates of commercial units in pedestrian zones may be linked to these perceptions. A central driver behind the sense of insecurity is poor orientation - often made worse by inadequate or poorly positioned lighting.
Eliminating ‘spaces of fear’ is a key challenge in urban planning. Smart, integrated lighting concepts offer a promising solution.
The perceived sense of safety in cities has declined significantly in recent years. A 2023 study by the Lower Saxony Criminal Police Office found that fewer people feel safe at night. In 2018, 41.5 % of respondents said they felt secure in their city in the evening and at night – by 2023, this figure had dropped to just 27.3%. Women, in particular, tend to avoid areas they perceive as unsafe, such as car parks (55.3%) or subways (80.4%).
These figures highlight how important it is to address rising concerns about personal safety. Well-planned, modern lighting can play an effective role in designing public spaces where everyone feels safer.
While lighting is a key safety component, the feeling of safety depends not just on brightness levels, but also on environmental design and individual perception. Simply applying standard lighting technology may not be sufficient to effectively improve affected areas. For example, the same prescribed brightness in a deserted industrial-area underpass will have a different effect than in a lively city square. Simply increasing the brightness in ‘problem areas’ might temporarily improve the sense of safety, but it can also undermine sustainability goals by increasing energy use and contributing to light pollution. Furthermore, more light can even mean more shadows, an unwanted side effect that can decrease the feeling of security.
A better approach is to use integrated, smart lighting systems that improve orientation and safety not by flooding spaces with light but through targeted, intelligent light distribution as a result of integrated planning.
TRILUX first explored the issue of public spaces that instil fear in the Andreaskloster project in Cologne. During this project, TRILUX recognised that existing luminaires and lighting concepts were insufficient to tackle the issue effectively from an outdoor lighting perspective.
TRILUX has established an internal, cross-departmental working group to address this complex challenge. This initiative brings together colleagues with urban planning, sociology, lighting technology, and product development expertise.
The group’s goal is to analyse existing knowledge around public spaces of fear and lighting’s role while consulting with external experts. The aim is to develop viable, targeted lighting solutions for municipalities and planners as quickly as possible.
Master's degree (MA) in sociology - graduate engineer for urban and regional planning - architect (AKRLP)
Telefon: +49 151 17 11 03 28 E-Mail: holger.diwo@trilux.com
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