Hedblom, Marcus
- Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Urbanisation is leading to an increase in outdoor lighting technologies in cities, which can disrupt wildlife habitats in urban greenery and alter their natural biological, physiological, and behavioural rhythms. Despite the flexibility of LED lighting technology, it is not being used effectively in practise to minimise ecological disturbances while providing sufficient illumination for people. A PRISMA review of 31 papers on lighting using contemporary LED sources and wildlife species revealed that lighting parameters were inadequately described to (1) characterise the relationship between assessed ecological impacts and light properties and (2) adjust properties of contemporary lighting technologies to reduce such impacts on animals. The authors suggest strengthening interdisciplinary collaborations for informed sustainable development by establishing common procedures and methods to ensure the transferability of research outcomes to practical applications.
Keywords
urban lighting design; outdoor illumination; electric lighting; artificial light at night (ALAN); light-emitting diodes (LEDs); light pollution; ecological impact; interdisciplinary research
Published in
Frontiers in Sustainable Cities
2025, volume: 7, article number: 1710192
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Studies in Social Sciences
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/frsc.2025.1710192
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145362