New York’s nightscape is as iconic [...] 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). — Urban Omnibus
In her piece for Urban Omnibus, landscape and urban designer Emily Schlickman takes a fascinating closer look at the history of New York City's system of street-side luminaires (the largest in the nation), and how the recent transition to LED technology is affecting the city and its residents—both people as well as nocturnal fauna.
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Detroit converted its streetlight system over to LED a few years ago. Many, including the Mayor, have lauded the effort to light Detroit neighborhoods and improve safety. Count me a NIMBY as someone who had a bright new LED fixture placed right outside my bedroom window and now have to close the blinds at night instead of enjoying the night sky and the beautifully lit tower across the park.
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