bright idea? light pollution fears shadow ncc plan to light up capital - outdoor led sign lighting

After analyzing the current evening conditions in the capital area, the national capital Council worked with the City of Ottawa to develop a plan known as the capital lighting scheme, the city of gatino and private and public stakeholders. Over a 10-
During the year, the NCC plans to "promote sustainable development and enhance the night scenery of the capital" to showcase the night scenery of the capital region and enrich the experience of residents and tourists, support existing planning, heritage conservation and urban design strategies.
"Since the NCC first came up with the idea of the city center core lighting master plan in 2014, the federal royal company has called on the public many times.
On 2016, a series of night walks were organized and participants were invited to provide feedback on urban lighting plans in the city center.
The draft capital lighting plan was released on June and the final plan will be submitted to the NCC board in the fall.
If approved, the plan will be a guide to illuminate the capital at sunset.
NCC has selected a variety of Canadian landmarks for lighting, including federal Avenue 7. 5-
Km route connecting parliament, Supreme Court, Rideau Hall, Museum of the area and embassy.
National Gallery of Canada, Gatineau Court, Ottawa City Hall, Notre-
Cathedral, etc.
To illuminate the capital, the NCC recommends the use of "new lighting technologies such as low energy consumption, more control flexibility, and longer life cycle" such as led ". LEDs, or light-
LEDs have become a popular choice due to cost-effectiveness.
However, some people involved in the capital lighting program and global scientists have warned that artificial lighting, especially the use of white led, can have a huge impact on light pollution, as do animals, plants and humans.
National Coordinating Committee recommends lights
LEDs from 2200 K to 4200 K.
The 2200 k led will look yellow on the eyes, while the 4200 k led will be bright blue-white light.
"Light pollution from 4000 K of light is 16 times that of 2000 K," said Dr. James D.
Lowenthal, professor and dean of astronomy at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.
The bluer the light, the greater the impact on human health and ecosystems, although it will have an impact on light pollution and sky glow.
According to the International Dark Sky Association, "many outdoor lighting used at night are inefficient, too bright, poorly targeted, and poorly shielded, and are completely unnecessary in many cases, resulting in light pollution.
As the city becomes brighter at night, the light of the sky increases every year.
"For years, there has been a six percentage point increase every year, but this growth has been increasing due to LEDs," said Lowenthal . ".
Travis langko, assistant professor of architecture, special Sciences and Biological Sciences at the University of Southern California.
He made a different criticism: "Why would you light up a building without lights on, there's something disrespectful about it.
For me, this is just the homogenization of architecture.
However, the NCC says it is aware of the consequences of light pollution and is promoting sustainable lighting. In its 120-
Page provides information about the efficiency of lighting, such as the importance of equipment and direction.
However, even if the chosen fixture is well designed and only facing below, a lot of light can still rise into the sky, causing light pollution.
"The average light in the city reflects about the light that is facing the sky," said Lowenthal . ".
"Most people think the asphalt is completely black, but it's actually gray and it reflects a lot of light.
In fact, it reflects a lot more light than the moon . "(
The moon reflects about 11% of the sun. )
To reduce light pollution at night, Sophie Acheson, NCC's senior land use planner, said, "one of our most important features is the idea of these lighting curfews, and we recommend dimming the lights at night, this is the result of our discussions with the public and with some stakeholders.
"The draft suggests that between midnight and 5 in the morning, lighting in certain parts of the capital will be reduced by 50. m.
Lowenthal says it will be different to dim the light.
"Every time you dim the light, you make all the problems not that bad.
Glare will be reduced, light pollution will be reduced, and energy waste will be reduced.
Sports are also recommended for NCC --
Active lighting in areas such as entertainment channels, parks, courtyards and parking lots.
It also plans to use shielding lamps as much as possible to avoid light spills.
"I was very impressed with the NCC, frankly.
Robert Dick said: "While I don't necessarily agree with some aspects, they do an admirable job of finding an intermediate position," the chairman of the Royal Astronomical Society of Light Canada-
Pollution reduction committee attending lighting planning meetings and providing feedback.
Artificial lighting at night has serious consequences for wildlife and ecosystems.
According to non-plants, plants have evolved into specific day and night cycles and react to these cycles through the production and consumption of hormone plant pigments
International Dark ProfitSky Association.
If this cycle is disturbed, it affects different species and plants.
In 2015, researchers from the University of Exeter, England, published a study that found that artificial light at night affected the growth and flowering of plants, and therefore, it also affects the number of insects using these plants as food.
NCC recommends careful use of lights in areas where wildlife, plants, fish and insects coexist.
In order to do so, NCC said, it will create dark areas for major green spaces and waterways such as Jacques Cartier Park and the rido canal.
"One of the things we're figuring out when we do this is that there's a lot of knowledge now about how urban lighting affects plants, and so, we are working to ensure that we improve the impact of lighting in the capital in these areas, "said Christopher Hoyt, senior architect at NCC.
Longore said, "a huge area should be considered (given to)
Before going ahead with the design plan, the wildlife type in this area, I haven't seen any of this yet.
NCC seems to be generally aware of the effects of lights on wildlife, but not specifically for areas where they want to put the lights in.
"The lighting of the dark areas will also be minimized, allowing events and displays in those areas that may be located in those areas, but in general, these areas will remain as dark as possible.
There should be no lights in some parks, Dick said.
"If you do it right, the city alone has enough sky light to find your way.
"While dark areas are a good way to reduce the impact of light pollution on wildlife and ecosystems, Dick is concerned that lights elsewhere in the city may become bright enough to disrupt the ecosystem, this is already the case with birds in the capital area.
The sky in the capital area has already had fatal consequences for birds in the area.
Anouk Hoedeman, founder of Safe wings, said, "The problem with birds is that they all migrate at night and use the moon and stars to navigate.
"When there are bright lights, the birds get lost and attracted by the light, just as you see insects around the lights on the porch.
"The wing of security is a project at the Ottawa Stadium --
Naturalist clubs designed to reduce bird deaths caused by window collisions.
When birds are attracted to the lights, they collide to the buildings, fly around the lights, collide with each other, and even disappear from exhaustion.
According to a book published in 2006 called "ecological consequences of artificial night lighting", once birds are lost, they may collide with artificial structures such as buildings and transmission towers, or fall on the road, run over by a vehicle.
The night sky in Ottawa is not as bright as big cities like New York, Toronto or Chicago, but it is bright enough to have such a collision.
"Most collisions occur in the first two hours after the sun, which tells us that at night, when attracted by light pollution, the birds are falling into the city, and then, when they want to hit the road again, collide in the morning, "Hoedeman said.
Artificial lighting is part of human lighting.
Together, the factors contributing to the decline in the distribution and number of birds in the world.
Every year, 250,000 birds are killed in collisions in Ottawa.
Millions more people in the world have died in collisions with illuminated buildings.
Hoedeman said she was pleased that NCC's plans set out some of the dangers of light pollution, but she said, "I would like to see more information about light pollution in birds and humans.
"In the next few years, when strolling through the city center, monuments, buildings of the capital at night, parks and public art will be illuminated to create a more vibrant environment, but it may have adverse effects.
"Although the plan is not yet completed, we have seen some of its implications, mainly because people are talking a lot more about lighting now than in the past," Acheson said.
The NCC says artificial lighting has a direct impact on the real and perceived safety of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
"When we talk about public safety, we recognize the possible impact of lighting in crime prevention and in popularization," said Ssophie Acheson, NCC's senior land use planner
In fact, scientists have been debating for years whether lighting will increase safety in urban areas.
"There is an assumption that more light is better and safer at night," the doctor said . "James D.
Lowenthal, professor and dean of astronomy at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.
A 2015 study was conducted in England and Wales to examine whether reducing street lights would affect road casualties and crime.
The researchers looked at the geocode police data of 62 local authorities on road traffic collisions and crimes and concluded that there was no evidence of any street lights
Adaptation strategies are related to night collisions or changes in crime.
"There are hundreds of articles in the literature that explore the impact of night light on safety, and I think it is safe to say that there is no consensus," Lowenthal said . ".
If so, will the outdoor light on your front lawn flash up? You may cause light pollution.
Light pollution is best described as excessive and unnecessary use of outdoor lighting.
For example, when everyone is sleeping with the light on, or when the light hits an area it should not shine on, it causes light pollution. The non-
Profit International Dark Sky Association uses four main components to determine whether light can cause light pollution: lights from buildings, street lights or residential areas, and unnecessary lights can cause light pollution.
Light pollution in cities is often much higher than in rural areas, as more lights are still on at night.
Therefore, it is more difficult to attract attention in cities than in rural areas.
To determine the pollution of light emitted by one light and another, scientists subtract two wavelength numbers and bring the results to the fourth power.
For example, the wavelength of 4000 K Light is twice that of 2000 K light.
So scientists are able to demonstrate that at the second to fourth power, "the light pollution generated by 4000 K of light is 16 times that of 2000 K of light," said Dr. James D.
Lowenthal, professor and dean of astronomy at Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts.
"The color of light has a great impact on light pollution," Lowenthal said . ". The blue-
Compared with high pressure sodium lamps, abundant lights can cause more light pollution.
On 2016, the American Medical Association issued a guide on LED street lights, suggesting that outdoor lighting be limited to less than 3000 K.
NCC currently recommends the use of led with a brightness of up to 4200 K.