29 april 2020
Moral Imagination and the Future of Cities at Night (Student handout)
Nighttime lighting is foundational to the design and use of cities at night, and new innovations to how we light cities can have far-reaching effects on social and environmental values. Given the confluence of rising concerns about the negative effects of artificial light at night (known as light pollution), combined with the introduction of new lighting technologies (e.g., smart systems, LEDs) as well as the development of other disruptive technologies (e.g., autonomous vehicles), we have a rare opportunity to envision and enact new lighting strategies. But how can these new technologies be adopted and utilized in a creative and responsible way? What values (environmental, social, aesthetic) should inform and drive technological innovation, design and policy choices, and use patterns? In this exercise, students are asked to confront complex and open-ended moral questions related to a critical (if often taken-for-granted) urban infrastructure, exploring how normative theories and value-sensitive design can – and should – inform the future of nighttime lighting.