Public defence in Electrical Power and Energy Engineering, M.Sc. Dmitrii Ingi

The title of the thesis: Public participation geographic information system as a tool to study outdoor lighting and urban experiences after dark

Thesis defender: Dmitrii Ingi
Opponent: Prof. Antonio Peña-Garcia, University of Granada, Spain
Custos: Prof. Jorma Kyyrä, Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering

The quality of outdoor environments after dark is just as important as during the day, especially in regions where long autumn and winter seasons limit natural light. Outdoor lighting plays a key role in how cities look and function at night, yet it is often treated as a purely technical issue rather than a broader design challenge that balances social, environmental and economic goals.

This doctoral thesis focuses on urban experiences after dark, outdoor lighting and public participation approaches. At its core, the study asks a simple question: how do people experience lit urban environments, and how can these experiences be meaningfully included in lighting research, planning and design?

People are the primary users of outdoor lighting, and their everyday experiences and knowledge form a valuable resource. The thesis first brings together existing research to show how outdoor lighting influences urban experiences through how people see, feel and behave. This work provides the basis for using participatory methods in lighting research. The study then examines participatory mapping, specifically Public Participation Geographic Information Systems, as a way to collect and analyse people’s perceptions of lighting. It explores whether this method can capture how people evaluate lighting quality, brightness and feelings of safety, and whether these perceptions relate to actual lighting conditions in the city.

The research combines literature reviews with a campus-scale explanatory study, in which participants mapped places they perceived as safe or unsafe and evaluated lighting conditions. These responses were analysed alongside spatial lighting data, including maps of lighting infrastructure, road lighting classes and nighttime aerial imagery.
The results show that participatory mapping can successfully represent how people perceive outdoor lighting. Areas perceived as well-lit differed clearly from poorly rated areas, reported brightness corresponded with spatial light levels, and places with more lighting infrastructure were generally experienced as more reassuring. At the same time, the thesis discusses limitations and identifies directions for future research.

Overall, the thesis demonstrates that participatory mapping offers a practical and scalable way to include public perspectives in lighting research and planning. By combining people’s experiences with spatial data, this approach can support more inclusive, evidence-based and sustainable lighting design.

Key words: Outdoor lighting, Urban experience, Perceived lighting quality, Brightness, Reassurance, PPGIS, GIS, Participatory mapping, Nighttime aerial imagery

Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence at Aalto University's public display page.

Contact: dmitrii.ingi@aalto.fi