Illuminated Futures

New York’s nightscape is as iconic (think film noir street corners and neon glitterati escapades) as it is taken for granted. A city without streetlights is impossible to imagine, but New York’s 396,572 street-side luminaires are as unremarkable as the streets’ paving — invisible until something changes. An initiative to replace sodium and halogen bulbs with energy- and cost-efficient LEDs has thrown the nightscape suddenly into question, as some city residents bemoan the loss of romance (and sleep). Nocturnal animals, too, are finding the conversion hard to take. But the iconic and under-appreciated nighttime infrastructure is also essential to the modern city. In New York, “nightlife” generates 300,000 jobs and $10 billion annually, and the recent establishment of an Office of Nightlife and the appointment of a new “night mayor” signals intention to give after-dark the same consideration as the daily grind. LEDs could be a boon for that industry, and for others who prefer to stay out late. SWA’s innovation lab, xl studied New York’s LED conversion for its impacts on the “Urban Sensorium”; below, Emily Schlickman explains what’s going on, what’s to come, and what it all could mean for the night and its many inhabitants.