Light pollution (light smog, light pollution or light emissions) is a fundamental problem in metropolises with effects on flora, fauna and people. Accordingly, the first section of the book discusses the basics of light pollution and its effects on various organisms. The characteristics of light smog in the cities of Hanover, Warsaw, Boston, New York City and Toronto are then analysed and compared. But how can the problem be tackled? Existing measures for the prevention of light pollution are discussed and further novel approaches are shown by comparing the metropolises. The book is aimed primarily at practitioners in this field and helps to identify sources of emissions and identify suitable reduction measures.

This book is a translation of the original German edition „Lichtverschmutzung in Metropolen“ by Emlyn Etienne Goronczy, published by Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH in 2018. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation. Springer Nature works continuously to further the development of tools for the production of books and on the related technologies to support the authors.

Emlyn Etienne Goronczy holds an academic degree in architecture with a focus on lighting design. He works in an international planning office and was awarded the Fritz-Schumacher-Preis of the City of Hamburg in the junior category.