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Geisel Library at night

Outdoor Lighting Safety

Annual Lighting Survey

Each winter, Facilities Management, Environment, Health & Safety and the UC San Diego Police Department partner with CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center to conduct campus lighting survey walks, assessing issues that can be improved to create a safer environment for our community. Representatives from Parking and Commuter Services, Residential Life, Housing * Dining * Hospitality, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Campus Planning and libraries also participate in the annual lighting survey.

During February 2024, teams walked the entire campus footprint searching for possible safety hazards and other potential concerns. Four separate walks, targeted specific campus areas:

  • Main campus, including the School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy
  • Main campus residential housing areas
  • Coast, Mesa, One Miramar St., La Jolla Del Sol, Mesa Nueva and Nuevo East and West
  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Safety Improvements

The Facilities Management lighting team is systematically replacing all low-pressure sodium (yellow) street, walkway and parking lot lighting in areas it maintains with LED fixtures—anticipated completion December 2026. LEDs provide white light for increased safety and security at night in addition to using less energy, lasting longer and requiring less maintenance.

Interior Building Lighting

UC San Diego works diligently to conserve energy by limiting interior building lighting at night. However, during the Coronavirus pandemic, interior lighting remains on in many buildings to help ensure public safety and security.

Lighting Concerns

We ask that all concerns include specific information about the location. The walks will address only exterior concerns, and we review all submitted comments during the walks.

You can report lighting concerns by: