My fascination for the night sky comes from childhood memories when sailing. I often used to lie on the wooden deck, looking up at the night sky, and these images created strong memories. These images are the starting point for this master’s thesis on Västerås lighting planning methods for urban cities and the use of darkness in urban spaces.

The research question is: How can Västerås, as an urban city- apply the French Decree, 2018 (Arrêté, 2018) & protect the night sky when shaping the master plan for the future? I am to investigate an ongoing design proposal for the city of Västerås by looking at how a new master plan is taking shape and how it meets the requirement of the Decree to protect the night sky.

The Decree came into force in 2019 as a national rule to reduce light emissions in outdoor spaces. I choose to implement the French Decree for this thesis since it’s the most vital standard for Western Europe. I will examine what´s advocated for theongoing master plan for the city of Västerås and how it can meet its needs for humans, fauna, and flora. To present a comprehensive analysis, I analyze the role and effect of urban lighting from economic, social, political, and environmental perspectives.