Living and Light – BBC Sounds

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The future looks bright… thanks to rising artificial light pollution.

Our towns and cities are more illuminated than they have ever been. And this light might be spilling over into our lives and impacting our health. Recent headlines have linked exposure to artificial light at night with Alzheimer’s disease, capturing the attention of broadcaster and neuroscientist, Julia Ravey. While this research field is in its infancy, Julia wondered just how much has been uncovered about the human health implications of this inconspicuous pollutant.

Over millennia, the application of light – from flame to gas lamps to LEDs – has been essential for facilitating leaps forward in our advancement. Nick Dunn, Professor of Urban Design at the University of Lancaster, explores how this intertwined history between humans and artificial light, and how our deep-seated feelings about the dark, may have contributed towards our over-illuminated cities. Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, explains how this artificial light at night has allowed us to defy our biological rhythms – and the health consequences this has ensued. But a question remains – could simply living in our ever brightening urban environments erode our health? Early studies are beginning to give us clues.

While research progresses, night-time light levels continue to increase. But some are hoping to buck the trend. In Sedbergh, Julia meets Janey and Jack, who show her some newly fitted “dark skies friendly” streetlamps, saving both on bills and sky glow. And at York St John University, she joins a team of academics, estate managers and experts on a campus tour, exploring a project augmenting the university lights – which they hope may act as a template for York to become UK’s first “dark skies friendly” city. But changing the light scapes of our cities must be balanced with citizens perception of safety. Anna Barker, Associate Professor in Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Leeds, discusses her research on making urban parks safer spaces for women and girls, and the role lighting has been found to play in making these areas more accessible.

Presenter and producer: Julia Ravey
Editor: Martin Smith
Assistant producer: Sam Nixon
Production coordinator: Elliott Prince
Studio manager: Jackie Margerum
A BBC Audio West and Wales production for BBC Radio 4.

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