Light, Rights & Urban Fights: Daylight in a Densifying World

In this thought-provoking episode of Sunlight Matters, we travel across Europe to explore how daylight access, sunlight rights, and urban densification intersect—and often clash.Joining us are three brilliant minds working at the forefront of daylight analysis and sunlight legislation:🌞 Mina Gaarder – A Civil Engineer based in Norway who recently completed a master’s thesis on daylight in dense urban areas, comparing regulatory frameworks in Norway, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S. She brings a research-driven lens to how daylight affects housing quality, health, and urban form.🌞 Susanne Höglin – Stockholm-based building permit architect and former case manager at Stockholm Municipality. Now working at ACC Glas och Fasadkonsult, she investigates how urban densification affects daylight access in existing buildings and how legislation is keeping pace (or not).🌞 Eftychia Stamataki – Architect and energy-efficient buildings expert, originally from Greece and now based in Stockholm. At ACC Glas och Fasadkonsult, she leads projects on daylight and sunlight studies, as well as thermal comfort, and advocates for the better integration of sunlight in early-stage urban design.Together, we unpack:🌇 The difference between daylight and sunlight—and why it matters🏙️ How shadow mapping tools like Shadowmap empower citizens to challenge poor planning⚖️ Why laws protecting existing building light access missing or weak in many countries📐 How older urban codes used geometry to protect sunlight—and what we’ve lost in the digital age🗣️ Why public education and democratization of urban design are vital to fair developmentIf you're interested in sunlight analysis, urban planning best practices, or want to understand how sun exposure impacts health and housing quality, this episode is for you.🔦 Don’t miss this deep dive into the bright side of building cities better.Sunlight Matters is a podcast exploring the role of the Sun in human health, architecture, cities, and everyday life.Through conversations with scientists, architects, and technologists, the series examines how natural light shapes our bodies, our buildings, and the way we live indoors.Hosted by Dave Wallace, Sunlight Matters asks a simple but overlooked question: what happens when we disconnect from the Sun?Because sunlight isn’t optional. It matters.Please do not forget to Like and Subscribe.