The world population is growing,
urban areas are expanding
and artificial lighting is all-around.
Have you ever considered
that this might affect your health and wellbeing?
Our biological clock,
influenced by the naturally occurring changes
between light and darkness,
reacts very sensitively
to inappropriate and disruptive exposure
to artificial outdoor and indoor lighting.
Too little of the right light during the day
and too much of the wrong light at night
can impact our health and wellbeing.
Older adults over 65 years of age
are particularly prone to these impacts.
Genetic changes in the body
and altered chemical processes
exacerbate their predisposition to age-related diseases,
reducing their quality of life.
Lighting also disproportionately impacts older adults’ lives
in terms of access to public space
and active participation in civic life,
and through the quality of indoor spaces
in which they spend more time than other age groups.
This refers to the way lighting shapes
urban spaces and social life,
whether at home or in public spaces,
thus affecting people’s behaviour, moods,
and sense of security as well as social relationships.
The ENLIGHTENme project
has set out to mitigate these impacts
by examining the correlations between health,
wellbeing, lighting and socio-economic factors
in three European cities: Bologna, Amsterdam and Tartu.
A population-based study
and qualitative field work alongside co-designed
public lighting installations in all three cities
provide the insights required for new guidance
and tools on cutting-edge urban lighting policies
that support better public health
in cities throughout Europe.
ENLIGHTENme: switching on a healthier