Competing with elaborately planned shop facades, intense Han River bridge illuminations, sign luminaries, and bare light bulbs, all flood the streets with chaotic lights. Multi-colored and thriving on pure energy, the different areas in Seo…

The infrastructure of Munbai is well built, creating a well-lit road surface from a horrendous traffic situation and colonial technology. In contrast, the chaotic bazaar boasts incandescent lights. Rich and poor, concentrated light and shad…

Rustic scenery and relaxing daily life co-exist on Jejudo Island, where we stopped for a luxurious stay at a resort hotel. White light from fishing boats dot the horizon and clarify the boundary between the dark night sky and black ocean wa…

Guangzhou on the north shore of the Pearl River Delta As the saying goes “Eating in Guangzhou,” Cantonese cuisine is prepared in a wide variety of ways using almost anything under the sun. Residents carry that energy into the lighting envir…

New development and activity at the fishing port generate energy in Korea’s second largest city, Busan. In sharp contrast with the dark waters, stores with flashy neon signs edge the perimeter of the bay and people sit mesmerized along the …

The spirit of light and water reside in Venice. In every corner of the small maze-like alleyways, light and water dance together. During the day it is the sunlight and shadows shining on the water’s surface, at night the small street lamps …

Santorini, one of the many island of Greece, is a crescent-shaped island in the Aegean Sea. The chalk-white townscape on top of the steep bluffs of this island constantly changes with the natural light, like a painter’s canvas, and one is r…

Praha, the capital of the Czech Republic, is a one of the European cities with several buildings, streets, and city features preserved from the middle ages,　and a very popular destination for tourists. The city, also famous for its many ste…

The Paris nightscape has become a model for nightscapes around the world. Appreciation for the streets of Paris has helped to preserve and restore them to places of beauty during the day and at night. At night, the streets emerge as distinc…

The design of the Lyon nightscape is a joint venture between the government and the citizens. Various lighting materials are used by trail and error throughout the city to create its lightscape. Standing on a street corner one gets the impr…

A profound lightness and darkness soaks into the classic streets of London. There is not any flashy propaganda, but the orange street lights in the late night fog bring the history of the city and its lights alive. The question now is how m…

The thoughts and ideas of Poul Henningsen seem to be present throughout the streets of Copenhagen. Co-existing soft, tender light and natural light combine to create a nightscape in Copenhagen that reminds us technology is not always the an…

Even as the busy capital of Hungary, this city is almost free of fancy colored-lighting and flashy signage. Overall there is not much facade lighting or the glamorous atmosphere associated with many larger cities in Western Europe. However,…

The new cityscape in Potsdamer Platz is a symbol for the new Berlin. Like light, the shadow from the wall that separated the east and west has dwindled to nothing, but some things still stay the same. The light along Ku-Damm Street still cr…

Barcelona is a city of monuments, whether driving or walking, these unforgett- able symbols of Barcelona are everywhere. At night, the lights of the city further jog one’s memory and create distinctive perspective projections. Streaks from …

Our survey took place after the dust settled from the construction rush to finish infrastructure for the 2004 Athens Olympics. Around the main tourist attractions the lighting atmosphere was very orderly, but in Athens the ancient and moder…

Kichijoji is an area of Tokyo where a variety of elements are compressed together to create this unique neighborhood. However, even though it seems to be a mixture of “stuff” the area is well planned and organized. Public and private organi…

Modern Kagurazaka still conveys the atmosphere of its once flourishing Edo Era streets. Old Japanese restaurants and bars line the narrow alleyways and with softly glowing lantern light and welcome signs to complete the scene, one forgets t…

Rich in local history and cultural facilities, Ueno Park covers a large area in the middle of Tokyo. Even though located in an urban setting, we anticipated a lighting environment completely different than the lights of downtown. Between th…

Tianjin is situated 150km east of Beijing and easily reached in a 30-minute high-speed train ride. Historically, foreign influence including the UK and Germany has shaped the western-style architecture and streetscape that this city is fame…