Urban developments are growing, and related design has evolved by putting human needs and interests first. In order to develop in a sustainable way, we urgently need to balance our needs with the needs of nature.
Education and policymaking play crucial roles to provide balance for responsible practices, however, concrete data and knowledge is necessary to inform policy development. In this broader context, one focus area particularly relevant in Nordic countries is the use of electric light in after-dark outdoor environments, and the impact it has on flora, fauna, and energy use, as well as human behaviour and wellbeing.
The Nordark consortium project is funded by NordForsk with co-funding from the Swedish Energy Agency.
NorDark Consortium
Investigate the topic of sustainable after-dark design in a holistic way that, while supporting human needs, minimizes energy use, light pollution, and negative impacts on wildlife.
Support innovation within each discipline involved and generate evidence for sustainable, research driven design practices and policymaking
Collaborate across academic disciplines and with organizations and municipalities to assure evidence-based application and practice
Foster awareness about the interaction between human and wildlife under urban lighting conditions
Develop methods for a transdisciplinary, more-than-human-centric design approach
Develop digital twin tools to support designing, planning and simulating more-than-human-centric urban lighting conditions as well as data integration, analysis and visualization