Municipal outdoor lighting – parks and urban
Light is a powerful yet often overlooked aspect of our urban experience. However, lighting design can play a significant role in the daily lives of a municipality’s residents. It can either enhance or diminish the experiences of those who live there.
Is lighting a park or public space only a matter of safety?
Urban lighting has always played a key role in safer driving and crime prevention. However, exposure to light also has other impacts that go beyond these entirely valid considerations.
Emotional and Social Effects to Consider for Improving Lighting Quality.
There is a relationship between emotions and urban lighting scenes. At Oasis Outdoor Lighting, we pay close attention to observing the emotions experienced by citizens in the outdoor public spaces we illuminate, such as pedestrian areas, parks, and other public spaces.
We recognize that outdoor lighting generates different moods among people. Its intensity and quality of distribution can also influence the sense of safety and social interactions. A well-lit space where faces and facial expressions are recognizable creates an increased sense of comfort, and users feel protected and not threatened by the presence of others.
Parc Lionel-Girardin à Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey
MUNICIPAL LIGHTING TRANSFORMS PUBLIC SPACE
AN INSPIRING TESTIMONIAL :
“We would like to emphasize how satisfied we were with the services provided by Oasis for our lighting project. Their team demonstrated professionalism, efficiency, and creativity. Every step, from design to implementation, was carried out with great attention to detail, and the results exceeded our expectations.
What particularly sets Oasis apart is their responsiveness and availability. For every question or request, the company was always there to provide clear and prompt answers. They made sure we were always informed throughout the project. This smooth communication greatly facilitated our collaboration. Whether it was for outdoor installations or specific lighting effects, their expertise allowed us to transform our public space into a magical and welcoming place, all while staying within our budget.
We highly recommend Oasis to any municipality or organization looking for a reliable partner for lighting projects. Our project was a true success for Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey, and we are very proud of it.”
Alexandre Côté
General Director, Municipality of Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey
General Director, Municipality of Saint-Félix-de-Kingsey
Light as a Social Experience
Lighting can enhance citizens’ sense of trust toward the city and its inhabitants. When urban space design aims at creating gathering areas, lighting can contribute by enhancing the nighttime visual experience, encouraging people to stay, interact with one another, and promote socialization within the community.
Good urban lighting goes beyond meeting the technical requirements set by regulations or the economic and energy needs of municipalities, or even making the urban environment look spectacular. It is more about understanding the relationship between spaces and the behavior of people who use them, to enhance nighttime friendliness and improve the quality of life in urban spaces through light.
Lighting is a key factor as it can clarify the layout of a park by highlighting pathways, focal points, gathering places, and building entrances. When designed as a coordinated system, lighting enhances the readability, usability, and nighttime enjoyment of a site.
It is often essential to illuminate activity zones and main walkways so they become the center of pedestrian activity after nightfall. Conversely, certain areas may be intentionally left unlit if their use at night would be dangerous or inappropriate.
Lighting Design for Public Spaces and Municipal Parks
The success of a public space is not just about its location or design. While architects and urban planners must initially design these spaces, what ultimately matters is whether people will use them. This is where lighting plays such a crucial role in making these spaces accessible and embraced by citizens after sunset.
A couple sitting on a bench in a park at night, near a stone wall illuminated by blue lighting, creating a romantic and mysterious atmosphere.
LED Lighting Possibilities for Public Spaces
The benefits are social and economic—modern LED lighting solutions can offer excellent economic value for parks and open public spaces, allowing for up to 70% savings. LED lighting can make spaces more welcoming and help create visual experiences. For example, white LED lighting can provide a wide range of outdoor lighting solutions, from accent lighting for specific features to high-intensity washes of bright white light.
Appropriate Lighting Design to Secure Public Spaces
Lighting can help reduce crime and, most importantly, the fear of crime. People may feel unable to use parks and public spaces due to fear of crime. Alongside physical modifications to make these spaces safer, lighting can do a lot to alleviate the fear of crime, encouraging greater use and truly making them accessible to everyone.
What Oasis Outdoor Lighting Can Do for Your Municipality
We are constantly evolving to better understand the impact of lighting on citizens’ lives and to create public lighting ideas that best serve the needs of municipalities. For example, we ask questions like: Has the installation of low-altitude lamps been avoided in places where municipal machinery could damage them (lawnmowers, snowblowers, shovels)?
Oasis Outdoor Lighting continually strives to create new, increasingly creative lighting designs to help improve outdoor spaces for municipalities across Quebec.