An Assessment of user preference in artificial pathway lighting in urban parks; Cases from Greater Colombo region

Abstract

Urban parks are critical in converting cities to liveable spaces, where artificial lighting directly affects the users’ night-time experience. This study explores the urban park users’ preferences in artificial pathway lighting, through their subjective responses towards Brightness, Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT), and luminaires of the existing lighting design, at four popular urban parks in Colombo. The reasons for the said preferences were investigated under three overarching themes: perceived safety, perceived quality of light, and restorative experience. A mixed methods approach was employed for data collection, where questionnaires were used together with measurements, in-situ observations, and photographic analysis for better understanding. The user preferences were found to be directly associated with their perception of the lit environment. The existing brightness levels are insufficient for majority of the users and has affected their perception of safety. The poor selection and placement of luminaires have negatively affected the lighting quality, while the positive effect on the users’ restorative experience has induced a higher preference towards the CCT of the light sources. The results revealed that the majority of the users opted for changes in the current lighting design, indicating that the user needs and requirements are not effectively addressed in this regard.