New LED lighting has raised concerns about the health and environmental impacts of excessive or harsh lighting.

According to an article by Kirsten Errick in Route Fifty, “Washington, D.C.’s decision to install new energy-efficient LED streetlights to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and costs is garnering attention from environmentalists who are concerned about the bright lights’ impact on people and wildlife.” As Errick points out, “The district is part of the 80% of North Americans that cannot see the Milky Way.”
The D.C. case highlights the conflict between energy efficiency and the practical benefits of urban lighting and the negative impacts of light pollution. The project will save the District an estimated $2.5 million per year in energy costs, and LEDs can last five times as long as incandescent bulbs. But residents are already noticing the harsher lights, which can affect sleep and disturb human and animal circadian rhythms.
“Even before the district’s LED project, the city was already excessively lighting its streets, s. It is unclear why the district overlights, but the city is currently not considering making changes to this practice, according to city officials.” Errick notes that “Current non-LED lights in the district are approximately seven times the national lighting standard, recommended by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, while the new LED lights will only be two to three times as bright as the standard.”
Dark sky experts like Jim Dougherty of the International Dark Sky Association say cities can accomplish safe street lighting without overlighting, comparing lighting to music: “Music is supposed to be kind of loud, but then cranking up the volume by three more notches doesn’t help you, so you should put it on spec,” Dougherty said.
FULL STORY: LEDs Bring Energy Savings—and Light Pollution

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont