Why Transforming Cities Should Rethink the Scale of Urban Lighting

Lighting of future cities is a very sensitive issue nowadays and involves, in a transverse way, different disciplines, stakeholders and aspects that cannot be neglected and that are crucial in the urban development and in the life of human beings. The purpose of this paper is to highlight some critical issues that characterize the urban planning of today's cities and to expose cities and citizens evolution. Beside these aspects, the authors aspire to stimulate a multidisciplinary collaboration in the lighting design of urban spaces with greater sensitivity, aimed at supporting urban trends on a human scale considering the built environment, people and nocturnal ecosystem. It is therefore intended to promote the use of light at a human scale in urban spaces, using light as a social tool that intervenes in the perception, emotions and experience of people. The authors want also to sensitize the readers on the responsible use of light outdoors, pointing out that the use of artificial light during the night, inevitably involves the introduction of an artificial element, in fact, and consequently an alteration of the ecosystem. All this will affect the human being and his behavior, safety, well-being and health, discovering new important values of artificial light in the outdoor environment.