Managerial insights into the nocturnal environment: An interdisciplinary analysis

The cycle of day and night, of light and darkness, is one of the most enduring natural rhythms. It is fundamental to life. Advances in human activity and technology, however, have progressively extended the temporal and spatial boundaries of human presence into the night, thereby disrupting this natural cycle.
This doctoral thesis explores the sustainable management of the nocturnal environment, and by extension public lighting, in response to these transformations. The dissertation presents a novel approach by applying management science principles to a region heavily affected by light pollution. Such a perspective allows questioning the current local managerial context, the relationships among actors, the factors influencing the acceptability of light reductions, and the insights that can be drawn from the emerging concept of Industry 5.0. All of which aims to inform the overarching question of the thesis: what combination of factors favours a more sustainable management of the nocturnal environment? The dissertation is based on data collected from archival research, complemented by rich empirical data from 51 interviews with experts over a longitudinal time horizon, and 3114 survey responses in a repeated cross-sectional study conducted across the energy crisis.
Light pollution is reversible. Although its mitigation is not as simple as flipping a switch, this doctoral research shows ways to make it possible, and proves it to be acceptable. Starry skies have long shaped our sense of place on Earth and in the Universe, making this not just a scientific concern but a societal one. If the thesis were to be reduced to its bare essentials, it would be to search for a balance between light and darkness, between nightlife and wildlife, between safety and health, between access to public space and to starry skies. Striking such a balance can progressively lead us from exploration to implementation, from acceptability to acceptance, all of this inviting us to Carpe noctem.