Responsive lighting: the city becomes alive

We distributed fourteen controllable street lamps in a city square and recorded three comparative and one 'usual' condition, operating the public lighting as if it were an interactive stage. First tested was adaptive lighting that responded to people's occupancy patterns. Second was a mobile phone application that allowed people to customise color and responsive behaviours in the overhead lighting system. Third was ambient lighting, responding to wind velocity. The study extends the discussion on multiuser interaction design in public lighting by asking: how can interactions using mobile phones, thermal tracking and wind inputs afford new social behaviors, without disturbing the usual public functions of street lighting? This research lays foundational work on the affordances of mobile phones for engagement and interaction with public lighting. The study indicates the use of personal phones as a tool for interaction in this setting has potential to provide a stronger ownership to urban place.