The Effect of Night-Lighting on Urban Space Vibrancy-Sara Square, Sulaimani City as a Case Study

Volume 12 ,Issue 3 ,August 2026 ,Pages 228-253

Authors

Raz Saeed Faraj 1 ; Hawar Shawkat Karim 1

1 Architecture Engineering Department , College of Engineering University of Sulaimani , KR, Iraq

DOI logo 10.17656/sjes.10226

Keywords

Abstract

Lighting has gone beyond being just a technical requirement, now it is a strategic tool of promoting the safety of the people, strengthening cultural identity, and enhancing the usability of nighttime. Sara square an iconic landmark representing the heritage of Sulaimani suffers from inadequate illumination at night, this means it cannot be fully utilized; it can only remain just a transit center at night. This paper, instead of focusing on a local urban issue, enters into the larger international discourse of sustainable nightscape design, in line with SDGs 3, 7, and 11. It explores the influence of strategic lighting used at night on the satisfaction and appreciation of heritage by the people. The mixed-method framework was used, which involved the use of structured questionnaires (n=128), comparative field evaluations, and global best-practice standards. The paper finds that there is a high level of discontentment with existing terms of lighting, which is strongly correlated with avoidance behavior, with over forty percent of the respondents stating that they usually avoided the square at night because of the unsuitable amount of lighting that could not create a friendly environment. Nonetheless, people are still strongly attached to heritage, and their preference for lighting which emphasizes historical aspects is evident. The statistical analysis indicates the existence of significant positive relationships between better light perceptions, less avoidance, increased safety, and better place identity. 

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  • First online10 August 2026
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