Assessing Lighting Scenarios and Environmental Experiences for Pedestrians in After-Dark Urban Forests

Urban forests are considered important for well-being and a habitat for animals year-round, including dark seasons. This study concerns pedestrians’ appraisals of electric lighting scenarios of an urban forest path, with some of the scenarios being designed to decrease lighting influence on local wildlife. We explored how pedestrians experience walking in a local urban forest in three electric lighting scenarios: conventional LED light as reference lighting (RL); a modified luminaire with clear and amber lenses in lighting scenario 1 (LS1); and identical to LS1 but dimmed to 11% of LS1’s lumen output in lighting scenario 2 (LS2). Participants, N = 78 in a between-subject design, engaged in structured walks and provided observer-based environmental assessments onsite. Participants’ self-report assessments included environmental experiences and behavioral intentions. Significant differences between lighting scenarios were shown for visual accessibility (LS1 > LS2), prospect (RL > LS2), perceived safety (LS1 > LS2), perceived strength quality (PSQ) (RL > LS2, LS1 > LS2), perceived comfort quality (PCQ) (LS1 > RL, LS2 > RL), and restorative potential (RL > LS2). The findings indicate that people need a certain level of light to feel safe and psychologically restored. Further, the perceived comfort of the lighting appears to be greater for LS1 and LS2, featuring a luminaire with warm-white LEDs and a mix of clear and amber lenses, than for a conventional neutral-cool white LED scenario. Amber light with reduced short-wavelength radiation is currently assumed to have less impact on many non-human species; thus, the evaluated design may lower the ecological impact.