PROBLEM
We asked members of the Civic Journalism program to tell us about problems they had identified in Red Hook. ‘Lighting’ was one succinct and direct answer, or more specifically the effects of light and noise pollution on sleep quality.
Research findings show that reduced sleep quality has several adverse effects on human health and happiness, including problems related to cognitive performance as well as emotional and physical well-being (1).
BACKGROUND
During the last two years the NYPD have developed a tactic known as Omnipresence in response to high crime rates in some residential areas. Floodlights powered by gasoline generators are positioned with the intention of lighting dark walkways to reduce crime.
Subject to this approach is the residential area bounded by Dwight St, 9th St, Clinton Street and Lorraine St. We went out and spoke to residents, asking them their opinion of the lights, and whether they felt safer or that the lights had encouraged more residents to spend time outdoors during the warm months. The unanimous answer to these questions was ‘no’. Instead the residents complained of light and noise pollution, with many reporting lights shining into their apartment windows along with noise and fumes created by the generators. Further more, on visiting the area again at midday, the generators were unnecessarily running, despite residents telling us the police are tasked with switching them off at sunrise.
We also spoke with police officers patrolling the area. They took a different view, that the lights did provide a safer environment, however, we observed many walkways which were still in darkness, being too distant from the floodlights, so the solution is only partial.
The overriding atmosphere created by the lights and generators is oppressive, akin to a prison yard, and paints a picture to incoming visitors of a crime ridden area. Any reassurance they provide is balanced with a heightened sense of alarm and caution.
SOLUTION
We have created a solution that provides delight, function, safety and welcome for residents and visitors while also meeting the objectives of the NYPD. And not only that, the solution has the potential to increase civic pride and enhance the experience of living in and visiting Red Hook.
The area in question has abundant handrails running along walkways. We have developed an interactive and intelligent walkway lighting system running off-grid from solar power and battery cells. These are housed in robust, anti-theft, self contained modules mounted on handrails. The design also provides a more ergonomic handrail system since the incumbent design has rods protruding from the tops of rails.
FUNCTIONALITY
Pedestrians entering a walkway are detected by infrared motion and proximity sensors which in turn trigger LED strips that provide illumination of the walkway ahead. Further sensors track the pedestrian’s movement, lighting the way ahead. The light envelope covers 50 ft in front and behind the pedestrians, for a total of 100 feet of illumination. The illumination reduces gradually towards the edges of the envelope, to a minimum of 20% of full illumination.
When no pedestrians are in the immediate vicinity of the sensors, walkway illumination is maintained at 20% of full power. This will reassure pedestrians of the view further ahead, for instance across a square, while minimizing power consumption. The light temperature at the maintenance level is set to less than 2500K to avoid the known problems associated with night time exposure to blue light for both humans and animals.
The positioning of the lighting at waist height, the controlled spread and angle of the light and the overall intensity avoid light nuisance inside residents apartments, while providing adequate lighting for safety and crime reduction.
The lighting has the capacity to reach all walkway areas, avoiding the dark corners that floodlighting currently fails to penetrate.
ART AND PLAY
Aside from a purely functional requirement, the lighting provides delight for users, both normal as they experience the environment responding directly to their movements, but also through more energetic interaction. The speed of a pedestrian’s movement can be detected by sensors working in arrays, which in turn trigger different conditions. Greater speed moves the lighting through the spectrum, from the standard warm white through stronger yellow, orange, red and at the very fastest speeds that children may care to interact with the lighting, a bright pink. It’s more fun for the runner.
The system has the capacity for programming and could be used to stage light shows for celebrations and events.
ADDTIONALLY
The ubiquitous wifi project can bootstrap this system, being housed and powered under the same modules as the lighting. Wifi connection would also allow remote programming of the system and maintenance checks, alerting a manager of malfunction, low power or vandalism.
SPEC
Arduino controllers Infrared motion and proximity sensors LED strips Solar panel Battery
CITATION
Associations of frequent sleep insufficiency with health-related quality of life and health behaviors. Strine, Tara W. et al. Sleep Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , 23 - 27
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