The World Lighting Journey is a photo library of nightscapes and lighting environments from cities worldwide. Lighting Detectives hopes this database will be a catalyst for future discussion on urban lightscapes and local lighting culture. Lighting Detectives encourages all web viewers to send nightscape from your hometown to add to our ever-expanding photo library.

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Category: Downward View
Photo by: SHOMEI TANTEIDAN
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GLOBAL RESEARCH

SHANGHAI, China

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Developing Shanghai is propaganda for the world to see, as the streets of Shanghai seem to explode at night under the glitzy lights of this nightscape. One night the groups of row houses were removed, and the next, modern architecture appeared in their place. There was no time for theorizing about lighting culture, and the city became engulf in a flood of light. Shanghai is a gathering place for people from all over China. The bear light bulbs hanging in the streets cast skeptical glances over this developing city, but preserve the chaotic charm of the back streets. Daily development and innovation in the Pudong Xingqu District. Architecture from the colonial period is still standing in Bund, but the glitzy lights are more liable to catch one`s eye.

City Night Survey – Alaska

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2024.02.06-02.12 Masafumi Yamamoto + Yuki Ito We visited Alaska at the beginning of February. The purpose was to investigate the light environment in the Arctic under the theme of ‘Mother Nature’, focusing on urban areas, living environments, Eskimo life, and the wilderness. In this study, we stayed in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, and Fairbanks, a citysurrounded by nature. In Fairbanks, we stayed at a lodge in the mountains and observed the northern lights. ■Arctic City After noon in Fairbanks, a city as close to the Arctic Circle as you can reach. The weather is clear. The sun has risen close to the horizon and is about to set. Houses and trees cast long shadows on the ground. It is a beautiful scene, as if I had dipped the tip of my paintbrush in dark blue watercolor paint and carefully traced a stroke on a white canvas covered with snow. The temperature here is minus 20°C (68°F). Still, I can feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. The temperature can reach minus 40°C (-40°F) during the harshest season, while the four seasons are rich in variety. The temperature drops even further when the wind blows. This is the kind of Alaska I wanted to visit. The flora and fauna live in such a harsh natural environment. Human life right next to them. We would like to investigate the lighting culture while unraveling the reasons for this. ■Closing…

City Night Survey：Xi’An China

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Muslim District within New Development Context2025.11.06-11.09 Quratuaini Jamil + Xu Sunny The survey aims to examine the Muslim Quarter District with a focus on its religious, cultural, and urban context, while assessing how it integrates with the emerging modern development within Xi’an. ■ Brief Summary of Lighting SurveyWith a vast metropolitan population of 12.9 million—of which 4.45% reside in the urban center—Xi’an is a renowned historical and cultural hub in China that pursues an urban planning strategy blending tradition with modernity. The city integrates its rich heritage with the demands of contemporary development while carefully safeguarding key cultural areas. A prime example is the Muslim Quarter, which plays a crucial role in preserving living heritage, ethnic diversity, and the traditional urban fabric. Xi’an’s planning approach emphasizes “development within preservation and preservation within development,” reflected in the harmonious coexistence of new growth and historic architecture. Accordingly, this research focuses on how the old and new parts of the city—particularly distinct areas like the Muslim Quarter—are effectively integrated. ■Xi’An Muslim QuarterOn the first day, we observed the Friday congregational prayer at the Great Mosque of Xi’an. This visit provided a valuable opportunity to study the mosque’s internal spatial organization and architectural characteristics. The Great Mosque of Xi’an is distinctive for its unique synthesis of traditional Chinese architectural language and Islamic religious functions. It differs markedly from the Middle Eastern style—characterized by prominent domes and tall minarets—commonly seen in places like Singapore. Instead,…

Guangzhou Shenzhen, China

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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 environment that is equally diverse and full of activity, maybe a symbol of the recent economic development in China. Guangzhou Pearl River In the city limits of Guangzhou the Pearl River runs from west to east. The streets and buildings along the river face the water with people enjoying the night view from various places by cruising, strolling, and dinning. Guangzhou Xia Jiu Lu The pedestrian shopping street Xia Jiu Lu is famous for old shop houses and as a redeveloped entertainment district. Along with Chinese type red lanterns that line this street are an infinite amount of neon and other luminous signage that create a chaotic and exciting atmosphere. Shenzhen from Saige Plaza Tower After being labeled a special economic zone in the 1980`s, the population escalated and transformed the Shenzhen area into a gigantic urban beat. The city grew overnight like an illusion from a virtual world, but the population and high-rise condominium boom keep growing; which makes for an interesting nightscape.

CHICAGO 2013

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Chicago is the birthplace of the skyscraper and a city with a refined style of its own. However, the nightscape is basically assembled for crime-prevention with streets over powered by high-pressure sodium lamps and wrapped in an orange haze. We can only hope to see a more stylish Chicago nightscape in the near future. High-pressure sodium lamps create yellow lines of light across the Chicago landscape as viewed from the 103 floor of the Wills Tower. The lines of light extend as far as the eye can see, but it is not all that beautiful of a landscape, but more of a reflection of the fear and concern of criminal activity that might lie in the shadows. The view along N Michigan Ave. Trendy, retro street lamps line the avenue, but the light is diffused and not directed for a flat, blanket of light everywhere. Some of the more classic architecture has flood lighting along the ground level, but when combined with this method of street lighting it is not very effective. The lux level directly below a street lamp in 105lux, halfway between is 56lux and in the middle of an intersection we recorded 80lux. These numbers are too high, but maybe give residents and sense of security. Crown Fountain at night. In the park, artwork is lit up at night creating a vibrant area in the city.