As we stand on the brink of a new century, we find that popular outdoor lighting applications have become inefficient and counter-productive, often working against the laws of human vision and common sense. Glare and light pollution rule the night, and indiscriminate light usage is becoming more of a challenge to the human experience than a benefit. The goal of this essay is to take another look at conventional exterior lighting.
Outdoor lighting is researched by many and understood by few, yet it is freely employed by all.
Although research has established a greater understanding of outdoor lighting, the cavernous gap between those who research and those who install couldn't be wider. A lack of awareness has allowed poor lighting to proliferate. As a result, visual perception, safety and quality of life are increasingly compromised. Since the discovery of fire, we have embraced the presence of light during the night. As electric lighting became widespread, film and television helped to mold the public's fear of night, using darkness as a backdrop to terror.