Public parks provide a valuable service for their communities. Whether large or small, they boost community engagement with multi-use activities such as bike paths, concert venues, playgrounds, and sports courts & fields.
A well-lit park offers even more benefits to the community. A properly planned lighting system will:
- Enhance the safety and security of residents
- Accentuate physical features for a more aesthetic appeal.
- Extend usable hours.
- Create a welcoming atmosphere.
An effective lighting plan for a park will account for the different types of activity zones like pathways and baseball fields. Each zone will have specific lighting requirements which will dictate the types of light fixtures needed. This article will guide you through the process.
Enhancing Safety Through Lighting
Probably the most important benefit of a well-lit park is that it makes the area safer in multiple ways. When residents feel safe, they feel comfortable and will visit the park more often.
- It helps to reduce crime. It deters theft and vandalism and enhances surveillance at night.
- It helps to prevent accidents. Potential hazards like obstacles and uneven surfaces are illuminated and easier to see.
Aesthetic Benefits of Park Lighting
Creative use of park lighting can provide an overall welcoming atmosphere. It can also be used strategically to accentuate architectural and landscape features. For example:
- Bright lighting is used for sports courts and sports fields so that the participants and spectators can properly see the action.
- Ambient lighting is used for general use areas to provide a welcoming and comforting space.
- Landscape lighting is used to highlight trees, gardens, and building facades to create an attractive environment.
Each of these lighting types makes a park more attractive to visitors and increases its usage.
Lighting is not the only thing that can add an aesthetic appeal to parks. Decorative light fixtures and decorative light poles can also add ambiance to the area. Whether it’s a traditional or contemporary style (or something in between), they give areas such as entrances or pathways an elegant look.
Extending Usability
Parks with lights at night extend the hours that they can be used. They add functional hours to the area after sunset. This is especially true for park zones used for playgrounds, sports activities, concerts, cycling, and other outdoor events. It ensures that activities are safe and well-lit at night. All-season lighting provides for year-round usability.
Extended usability contributes to a stronger sense of community and well-being. It also adds additional economic benefits because vendors in and around the park such as food trucks and gift shops can stay open later due to the increase in park activity.
Environmental and Health Benefits
Choose LED Lighting
When selecting light fixtures to illuminate a park, opt for LED park lights, if possible. LED lighting is superior to all other types of lighting for these reasons:
- It has a longer lifespan, usually 50,000 hours or more. This helps reduce maintenance costs considerably because they have low replacement rates.
- It is much more efficient, which means that it consumes less energy than other types of lights. This saves money on utility bills.
- It possesses superior lighting quality. Its brightness and color rendering capabilities are second to none.
- It is more durable. LED lighting can withstand harsh environments better than other types of lights, whether from the heat or the cold and there is no fragile glass or filaments that can break upon impact.
Mitigate Light Pollution
Light pollution is generally defined as excessive artificial light that spills over into unwanted areas or causes glare which results in eye discomfort. Light pollution can be mitigated with proper light design and fixture selection.
Mitigating strategies involve directing light downward through the use of full-cutoff luminaires or adjusting a fixture’s brightness and color temperature (CCT).
Another strategy involves proper light pole fixture mounting height and spacing. Proper pole placement and mounting height for park lighting fixtures enhance visibility while preventing unwanted light spillover or glare.
Technical Considerations
Since each lighting zone in a park will have different lighting requirements, you will need to understand the types of light fixtures that will help to meet these requirements.
Types of Park Lighting Fixtures
Flood and Area Lights
For pedestrian pathways and bicycle lanes, flood lights and area lights are mounted on light poles to provide general lighting, much like street lighting. Pole height should be compatible with the size of the area being illuminated and its type of usage. Spacing should provide enough illumination without creating excessive glare or dark spots.
Spot and Bollard Lights
To highlight particular areas or points of interest or provide accent lighting, spotlights and bollard lights are ideal. Ground-level spotlights are used to focus narrow light on landscape features like building facades and trees. Bollard lights are suitable for illuminating entrances, gardens, and seating areas while reducing light pollution due to their low profile, ground-level installations.
Sports Lights
Areas with sports activities will require brighter lighting compared to other activity zones. LED sports lights are a perfect solution for these areas and they can be mounted to light poles to properly illuminate the action for players and spectators.
Adjustable Lighting
Park lighting should be adjustable depending on different requirements and times of the day. For example, brighter lighting might be required during the evening hours to better illuminate gaming and sports activities. By contrast, softer light may be desirable to create a relaxing atmosphere for other activities.
Smart Lighting Controls
Smart lighting controls can be used to automatically control lighting systems. Their main function is to reduce energy consumption and/or provide illumination for security and safety reasons. There are four main types:
- Timers allow you to set times for lights to be turned on and off.
- Motion sensors will detect movement and turn lights on for specified periods of time and then turn them off if additional movement is not detected.
- Photocells will turn lights on during nighttime hours and then turn them off during daylight hours.
- Dimmers will control light levels (low, medium, or high).
LightMart Can Help
Contact LightMart for expert advice on your next parks lighting project. We have everything you’ll need, including:
In a hurry to get started? We have a wide selection of Quick-Ship light poles in stock and ready to ship.
We also have a variety of light pole kits that have everything you need, including the light pole, the light fixture, and the associated hardware. They are ready to assemble, and they save you time and money.