Uneven illumination and the infrastructure politics of light masterplanning

Nocturnal illumination is both a hallmark and a driving force of global urbanisation—and increasingly an urgent environmental concern. From satellite images of the Earth glowing at night, we glimpse how Homo urbanus has shaped a luminous Anthropocene. Far from being a neutral backdrop, however, light infrastructures and nocturnal illumination actively produce urban space. They stretch the frontiers of economic and social life beyond daylight hours, enabling the expansion of urban networks and infrastructures.
By Nitin Bathla