Urban Nighttime Lighting and Local Ecological Health

Juli Carrillo

Urban Nighttime Lighting and Local Ecological Health

Author(s)	Dr. Juli Carrillo
Country	United States
Abstract	Artificial nighttime lighting is an essential component of contemporary urban infrastructure, supporting mobility, accessibility, wayfinding, public-space use, and nighttime economic activity. Its expansion can nevertheless modify natural darkness, spectral conditions, biological rhythms, species interactions, and ecological connectivity. This study develops a simulation-based framework for examining the relationship between urban nighttime lighting and local ecological health without presenting hypothetical observations as empirical field data. Ecological performance is evaluated through five dimensions: nocturnal-fauna stability, insect and pollinator integrity, vegetation and phenological stability, dark-habitat connectivity, and control of ecological light spill. Six lighting environments are compared, ranging from protected dark refuges to high-intensity urban illumination. The simulated Urban Ecological Lighting Health Index declines from 94.9 under dark-refuge conditions to 40.8 under high-intensity illumination. A corresponding illuminance scenario indicates a progressive decline in ecological-health scores as nighttime exposure at sensitive ecological receptors increases from approximately 0.2 lux to 20 lux. The analysis further indicates that lighting intensity alone cannot adequately represent ecological pressure because spectrum, duration, luminaire shielding, orientation, spatial spillover, and proximity to sensitive habitats influence ecological outcomes. Warm-spectrum dimming, adaptive controls, full shielding, curfews, ecological dark corridors, and site-specific illumination zoning emerge as comparatively favorable planning measures. The study concludes that environmentally responsible nighttime lighting does not require the complete removal of urban illumination. Instead, lighting should be provided only where necessary, at appropriate intensities and times, with spectral and spatial characteristics designed to protect nocturnal ecological processes while satisfying legitimate human requirements.
Keywords	artificial light at night, urban ecology, ecological light pollution, nighttime illumination, biodiversity, dark corridors, pollinators, ecological health.
Field	Engineering
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 6, November-December 2025
Published On	2025-11-04

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American Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Innovation and Research

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Urban Nighttime Lighting and Local Ecological Health

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