How the city of Linz wants to combat light pollution

Most business owners and homeowners react positively when one of Alfred Moser’s employees contacts them to talk about lighting – or rather, about too much of it. The commercial and security technology department at the municipal administration also deals with light pollution. This is when the lighting in a building is either too bright, left on for too long, or too inaccurate and illuminates half the surrounding area – with serious consequences. Too much light can deprive people of sleep and animals of orientation, and of course wastes energy. “Light pollution is harmful to the natural structure as a whole and we are taking away the starry sky,” says city councilor Eva Schobesberger (Greens).

• More on the topic: Light pollution: Linz is looking for ways to achieve “reasonable lighting”

There is almost never any malicious intent behind it, which is why Moser relies primarily on education. For new construction projects, a statement from his department is standard, but he can only ask the owners to make corrections retrospectively. He is usually successful in doing this, as with the Amedia Hotel on Prinz-Eugen-Straße or the Hartlauer branch on Landstraße.

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