The purpose of this paper is to discuss how ideas about innovations in ??urban lighting circulate in Brazil. Understanding that artificially lighting the urban environment is an act that involves technical, economic, political and cultural decisions, we ask ourselves how different social agents circulate international models and translate them to local interests. The study of the circulation of ideas about urban lighting might be useful for understanding innovation networks and their role in the design of urban night management. Furthermore, such a study can help us to understand political technologies and economic arrangements created for introduce, adjust and re-elaborate foreign technological models. This research is based on a survey and analysis of magazines and newspapers content in the field of lighting technology and manuals and urban projects from Brazilian cities, with greater emphasis on São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Preliminary results show five issues associated with how ideas about urban lighting migrate: a) the copy of foreign models and the problem of creative piracy; b) the use of sustainable, non-polluting and low-consumption solutions as a local alternative; c) the role of international fairs and professional exchanges in consolidating centers of calculation; d) the creation of regimes of visibility with a high degree of specialization in monuments, heritage and consumption centers; e) the little emphasis on lighting zoning projects or adaptation to the public interest, with low participation of the population in decisions. The results contribute to the understanding of the social geography involved in the circulation of innovative ideas, technologies and models and can help local governments to develop planned actions for artificial lighting in cities.
Mots clés : urban lighting|circulation of ideas|nighttime|innovation difusion|technology
A104366MF