IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i17p7833-d1738466.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Integrating Sustainable Lighting into Urban Green Space Management: A Case Study of Light Pollution in Polish Urban Parks

Author

Listed:
  • Grzegorz Iwanicki

    (Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-718 Lublin, Poland)

  • Tomasz Ściężor

    (Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Energy, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Kraków, Poland)

  • Przemysław Tabaka

    (Institute of Electrical Power Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, 90-537 Łódz, Poland)

  • Andrzej Z. Kotarba

    (Space Research Centre of Polish Academy of Sciences (CBK PAN), 00-716 Warsaw, Poland)

  • Mieczysław Kunz

    (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Toruń, Poland)

  • Dominika Daab

    (Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100 Toruń, Poland)

  • Anna Kołton

    (Faculty of Biotechnology and Horticulture, University of Agriculture in Kraków, 31-425 Kraków, Poland)

  • Sylwester Kołomański

    (Astronomical Institute, University of Wrocław, 51-622 Wrocław, Poland)

  • Anna Dłużewska

    (Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, 20-718 Lublin, Poland
    Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4000, South Africa)

  • Karolina Skorb

    (Doctoral School of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-512 Kraków, Poland)

Abstract

Urban parks often represent the last viable habitats for wildlife in city centres, functioning as crucial refuges and biodiversity hotspots for a wide array of plant and animal species. This study investigates the issue of light pollution in urban parks in selected Polish cities from the perspective of sustainable urban development and dark-sky friendly ordinances. Field data conducted in 2024 and 2025 include measurements of Upward Light Output Ratio (ULOR), illuminance, luminance, correlated colour temperature (CCT), and spectral characteristics of light sources. In addition, an analysis of changes in the level of light pollution in the studied parks and their surroundings between 2012 and 2025 was performed using data from the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) located on the Suomi NPP satellite. Results highlight the mismatch between sustainable development objectives and the current practice of lighting in most of the analysed parks. The study emphasises the need for better integration of light pollution mitigation in urban spatial policies and provides recommendations for environmentally and socially responsible lighting design in urban parks.

Suggested Citation

  • Grzegorz Iwanicki & Tomasz Ściężor & Przemysław Tabaka & Andrzej Z. Kotarba & Mieczysław Kunz & Dominika Daab & Anna Kołton & Sylwester Kołomański & Anna Dłużewska & Karolina Skorb, 2025. "Integrating Sustainable Lighting into Urban Green Space Management: A Case Study of Light Pollution in Polish Urban Parks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-31, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7833-:d:1738466
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7833/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/17/7833/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:17:p:7833-:d:1738466. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.