White light is also perfect for functional street lighting and communal areas, producing a natural ambience that is generally preferred by many to the traditional yellow glow of sodium; almost 90% of respondents in one recent survey perceived it as being more authentic. Add to that the heightened feeling of safety and white light is the natural choice for making streets more liveable and enjoyable.

White light emphasises the spaces and nuances in architectural features, giving a lift to decorative details that would not normally be visible at night. It can make a positive contribution to how people feel about their towns and cities, attracting them to spend more time there at night and instilling a real sense of civic pride.

Municipalities take the impact that light has on their cities very seriously. White light is preferred here too. The President of the Somosaguas Neighbourhood Association in Madrid, Spain said, “The lighting complies with our strict aesthetic requirements. The white light is closer to natural vision, which increases the quality of life for local inhabitants - as well as increasing property values.”

An EVALUM* field test was carried out in 2005 in Lyon, France.  Students living on the INSA campus and residents living in the city’s ‘6th district’ were asked to evaluate various types of lighting. There was a clear preference for the kind of warm, white light produced by lamps like MASTERColour 3000K and MASTER CosmoWhite. The satisfaction levels of these lamps were higher than those of yellow high-pressure sodium lamps and cold white light (4000-4200K).

* EVALUM: Evaluation de lumieres urbaines pour un eclairage durable (Evaluation of Light sources for Sustainable Lighting).