How Satellite Images of the Earth at Night Help Us Understand Our World and Make Better Cities

Energy and sustainability, Essay, expanding design practices, No Density, Technology and fabrication, Thomas Schielke

Architect’s role, Architecture, Cities, Culture, Data, Design, Ecology, Economics, Energy, Energy consumption, Essay, Functionality, LED, Light, Lighting design, Politics, Pollution, Psychology, Public Space, Sustainability, Technology, Urban planning, Urbanization

This article originally appeared on ArchDaily -- https://www.archdaily.com/892730/how-satellite-images-of-the-earth-at-night-help-us-understand-our-world-and-make-better-cities

Satellite images of Earth at night make for fascinating, beautiful pictures. But they also confront us with a growing form of pollution. Why do we waste so much energy to light outer space when we only need light on the ground? High-resolution satellite data can now deliver detailed insights into how humans have shaped the night, and these earth observation systems are about to reform our urban planning. They can become an integral part of project development and control, as many strange ecological, political and social phenomena become apparent with a closer look at the night-time imagery of our planet.