Shigeo KOBAYASHI

Professor, Department of Architecture, Dr.Eng.
Tokyo City University

Environmental psychology and lighting research for architecture and cities

Kobayashi studies how light, space, and the built environment influence human perception, behavior, and psychological responses. His research focuses particularly on architectural lighting, nighttime urban environments, environmental psychology, and lighting for disaster evacuation.

He also conducts practical research and design projects in collaboration with local communities, municipalities, architects, and lighting designers. Recent work includes nighttime landscape improvement, wide-area lighting strategies for disaster evacuation, and the development of low-luminance lighting environments that balance safety, visibility, energy use, and the character of place.

Recent Highlights

• 2025 — Award of Excellence, Civil Engineering Design Prize, for the Kesennuma Reconstruction Lighting Plan
• 2024 — Special Jury Award, Tokyo Branch, Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, for the Donkawa Main Stream Greenway Cherry Blossom Lighting
• 2023 — Illumination Facility Award, Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, for the Kesennuma Bay Waterfront Lighting
• 2024 — Published research on low-luminance lighting for outdoor evacuation around the Kesennuma Bay seawall
• 2024 — Published research on emergency lighting arrangements in homes during power outages

Research Achievements / CV

Research Areas

• Lighting Environment and Architectural Lighting
  Research on the relationship between lighting conditions, spatial perception, and human behavior in buildings and public spaces.
• Environmental Psychology
  Experimental and field studies on how light and spatial conditions affect human behavior, interpersonal communication, comfort, safety, and psychological responses.
• Nighttime Urban Environment
  Research and design of nighttime landscapes, street lighting, lighting of public spaces, and community-based approaches to urban lighting.
• Lighting for Disaster Prevention and Evacuation
  Research on lighting environments that support evacuation and spatial recognition during nighttime disasters, including power outages and tsunami evacuation.
• Graffiti and the Urban Environment
  Research on graffiti, streetscape conditions, and the relationship between urban space and human behavior.

Current Research Projects

• Research on wide-area optimization of lighting along evacuation routes during nighttime disasters
• Research on effective lighting environments during nighttime earthquakes while preserving local landscape characteristics
• Research on lighting environments that facilitate rapid tsunami evacuation during nighttime power outages
• Research on low-intensity distributed street lighting for reducing blind areas and improving crime prevention
• Research on energy-efficient and psychologically effective lighting for nighttime commercial streets

Selected Lighting and Urban Design Projects

• Kesennuma Reconstruction Lighting Plan
  Kesennuma, Miyagi, Japan — nighttime landscape, public-space lighting, waterfront lighting, and evacuation guidance
• Nighttime Landscape Improvement in Kaneyama Town
  Kaneyama, Yamagata, Japan — lighting of historic townscape and public spaces
• Kesennuma Bay Waterfront Lighting
  Lighting design for the Fish Town, Minami Town, and Minato Town waterfront areas
• Nighttime Evacuation Lighting in Kamaishi
  Lighting research and implementation for evacuation routes after the Great East Japan Earthquake
• Tateshina Resort Town Lighting Renovation
  Low-intensity lighting renovation emphasizing the experience of the natural environment
• Yatsuo Town Lighting Project
  Lighting experiments and street-light renovation in Toyama Prefecture
• Gokayama Ainokura Gassho Village Lighting
  Lighting design for the historic village landscape
• Yokohama Yamate Western Pavilion Lighting
  Nighttime illumination of historic architecture

Lighting Design Projects with Students

Selected Recent Publications

1. Shigeo Kobayashi, Masahide Kakudate and Hideki Yamaguchi: Spatial Cognition in the Development of Low-luminance Lighting Designs for Emergency Outdoor Evacuations: Seawall Area around Kesennuma Bay, Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, Vol.108, No.1, pp.33-40, 2024.
2. Shigeo Kobayashi: Experiment on Emergency Lighting Setup in Homes for Power Outages, AIJ Journal of Technology and Design, Vol.30, No.76, pp.1398-1403, 2024.
3. Shigeo Kobayashi and Tae Sawamura: Proposal of Pendant Lighting That Alleviates Awkwardness among Strangers, Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan, Vol.108, No.1, pp.27-32, 2024.
4. Shigeo Kobayashi: Contrasting Perspectives on Restaurant Lighting Design: Customers vs. Managers, New Food Industry, Vol.66, No.7, pp.407-415, 2024.

Complete Research Achievements and Publications

Awards

1. 2025 — Award of Excellence, Civil Engineering Design Prize: Kesennuma Reconstruction Lighting Plan
2. 2024 — Special Jury Award, Tokyo Branch, Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan: Donkawa Main Stream Greenway Cherry Blossom Lighting
3. 2023 — Illumination Facility Award, Illuminating Engineering Institute of Japan: Kesennuma Bay Waterfront
4. 2020 — Award of Excellence, Japan Landscape Award / Urban Landscape Award: Nighttime Landscape Improvement in Kaneyama Town, Yamagata
5. 2019 — Illumination Promotion Award: Showakai / Kesennuma Station Area Shopping Street
6. 2018 — Tokyu Group Environmental Award, Idea Award: Low-intensity Lighting Renovation at Tateshina Resort Town
7. 2010 — Architectural Institute of Japan Award, Paper Category
8. 2008 — IESNA International Illumination Design Award, Award of Merit: Campus Illumination

Academic Background and Career

• 2011– Professor, Tokyo City University
• 2003– Associate Professor, Musashi Institute of Technology
• 2000–2003 Lecturer, Musashi Institute of Technology
• 1993–2000 Research Associate, Tokyo Institute of Technology
• 2004–2005 Visiting Scholar, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Education

• 1998 Doctor of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology
• 1993 Master of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology
• 1991 Bachelor of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture

Research and Practice

Kobayashi's research combines environmental psychology, architectural environmental engineering, lighting design, and urban planning. A central aim is to understand not only how much light is needed, but how the distribution, direction, contrast, and relationship between light and surrounding space influence human perception and behavior.

Recent research extends these ideas to disaster prevention. In particular, the research examines how low-luminance lighting can support spatial recognition and evacuation while maintaining the identity and character of nighttime landscapes.

Fieldwork and practical projects are conducted throughout Japan, often together with local residents, municipalities, architects, and lighting designers.

Selected Research Topics

• Lighting environments and human behavior
• Environmental psychology of nighttime spaces
• Non-uniform lighting and perceived brightness
• Lighting and interpersonal communication
• Street lighting, safety, and natural surveillance
• Nighttime landscape and community-based lighting
• Lighting for disaster prevention and nighttime evacuation
• Graffiti and the urban environment

Teaching

• Environmental Engineering in Architecture
• Architectural Lighting
• Architectural Design and Planning
• Advanced Lighting and Environmental Design

Links

Research Achievements / CV

Top Page (English)
Top Page (Japanese)

skoba(at)tcu.ac.jp

Tokyo City University
Department of Architecture
1-28-1 Tamazutsumi, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 158-8557, Japan
Tel.: +81-3-5707-2189
E-mail: skoba(at)tcu.ac.jp