Working with the teams at Steensen Varming and Northern Beaches Council Emrah Baki Ulas from the Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning authored the Lighting Management Plan for Palm Beach Headland, set to become the first city-based stargazing zone in the Southern Hemisphere.

Light pollution is a growing global threat to ecosystems and the environment, affecting natural cycles and causing species populations to decline. But recent University of Sydney work is helping to safeguard the future of darkness at a Sydney reserve – a first in the Southern Hemisphere.

One of Sydney's most iconic lighthouses, on Palm Beach Headland, will be home to the first officially recognised city-based stargazing zone in the Southern Hemisphere. Palm Beach Headland, located in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, has been designated as an Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP) by DarkSky International.

The Headland joins 160,000 square kilometres of protected land and night skies in 22 countries on six continents but is the only one in Australia.

Reducing light pollution is particularly important in Australia, where we are fortunate to have nocturnal biodiversity near our populated civic centres – and their future relies on the preservation of night skies.

The Lighting Management Plan for Palm Beach Headland highlights the importance of good-quality outdoor lighting design that aims to reduce the impacts of artificial light on flora and fauna, enhance opportunities for people to enjoy the natural nighttime environment, and better viewing of the night sky.

“Light pollution is an often-overlooked threat to our ecosystems and environment,” says Doctor Emrah Baki Ulas, Associate Professor of Practice (Lighting Design).

“It also has energy waste implications, it can become an issue of nuisance, it affects health and wellbeing of urban dwellers, makes space observation challenging, and also is a loss for humanity to lose connection with the night sky.”

Having a practice-based role in the school, Ulas’ work challenges the norms by advocating new ways to illuminate outdoor environments. These include low-energy and low-impact technologies, careful control of light output, and the consideration of nocturnal wildlife.

The nocturnal wildlife of Palm Beach Headland, which is part of Garigal country, includes bentwing bats, flying foxes, long-nosed bandicoots, possums and squirrel gliders.

Urban lighting projects require careful consideration to balance the need for illumination with a range of environmental considerations including minimisation of energy waste and carbon footprint.

“There is also the cultural significance of night skies to First Nations peoples, which should be a central consideration.” Ulas says.

“By incorporating dark sky principles into urban lighting projects, we can create spaces that are safe, enjoyable, and environmentally respectful, preserving the natural nightscape for future generations.”

Accordingo Ulas, understanding that First Nations cultures have long held a deep connection to the night sky, viewing it as a source of knowledge, cultural stories, and spiritual guidance, provides an opportunity to not only reduce light pollution, but also to honour and perhaps even introduce layers of Indigenous wisdom into outdoor illumination.

“This way, the preservation of night skies is seen not just as a technical challenge but as a cultural imperative and even an opportunity to celebrate the land and heritage,” says Ulas.

“What is considered best-practice outdoor lighting today compared to some years ago is very different. We have come a long way; brighter no longer means better. Our hope is to see new knowledge applied, so people can safely enjoy the outdoors at night maintaining delicate balances of nature.”

Clémence Carayol

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