Impact of public lighting on pedestrians' perception of safety and well-being

A survey was conducted of 275 pedestrians in a nocturnal urban environment in the city of Granada (Spain). The objective was to evaluate user perceptions of the impact of different kinds of public lighting on perceived safety from criminal actions and on general well-being (avoidance of stress, glare, headaches, etc.). As part of the study, average illuminance was also measured in each street to detect potential correlations between survey data, illumination levels, and color of light. The results of this study indicate that well illuminated streets (that is, where lighting is uniform) with higher illuminance levels, tend to make people feel safer and better. This marked preference for more light is now less of a drawback because modern LED lighting permits higher levels of illuminance with low electricity consumption. It was also found that, besides the lower economic and environmental impact of High Pressure Sodium (HPS) lighting, stemming from the significant reduction in light pollution, the results generally indicated a better performance of this kind of lighting. However, despite the fact that white light could lead to higher levels of light pollution, it seemed to make people feel safer. These facts should be seriously considered by lighting engineers, urban planners, and city administrators when making difficult decisions about the design of lighting installations.