VIRTUAL Barcelona

Abstract

Listed buildings, ruins, monuments, castles, gardens, and sculptures are all places of memory that contribute to a city’s identity and its inhabitants’ pride. Unfortunately, many of these sites were badly lit at night for many years, with rigid fixtures that consumed much energy. Urban lighting is defined in two ways. This; is functional lighting, which is one of the critical factors for the safe sustainability of urban life, and the other architectural lighting, which prioritizes urban values to emphasize and perceive urban identity. Comprehensively designed lighting master plans create an urban lighting system where modern lighting techniques, appropriate standards, and conditions are provided, and unnecessary energy use is minimized and constitutes one of the most important indicators of the city’s sophistication and high quality of life. This study examines urban lighting criteria and purposes, and the importance and scope of the master plan for adequate urban lighting are emphasized. For the field study, Fatih District – Balat area has selected a neighborhood with exceptional history in Istanbul. It is also on the list of UNESCO heritage sites, yet it is still a region rarely visited by tourists. Therefore, a lighting design proposal was developed for a specific area. When a city wants to enhance its heritage through light, it is not simply a matter of “lighting at night” but rethinking the historical buildings to integrate them into the urban fabric. Studying Balat requires detailed analysis and zoning studies due to its cosmopolitan identity and historical processes.