Abstract: The subject of this article is the artificial lighting environment in the historical cities of Russia. The author examines and analyzed some existing Russian concepts of lighting of public urban spaces, as well as underlines the most interesting and promising approaches and principles used within them. The author also notes the positive and negative aspects of their application within the historical city environment depending on the type of the planning pattern and location of the historical center, as well as sophistication of street network and system of public urban spaces. The article provides international criteria of the quality of modern lighting environment of a city, and reveals the correspondence of the used in lighting concepts approaches with these criteria. The result of the research consists in a number of summary analytical tables that visually demonstrate the level of applicability of the existing in modern Russian concepts of lighting principles towards some historical cities of Russia. Such classification determines the weak sides in the existing concept, and accentuates the aspect that deserve attention in development of the future concepts of city lighting.

Abstract: This article reviews the evolution of aspects of the beautification strategy of the evening environment of Saratov as the example of development of the provincial approach towards establishment of the artificial lighting in the historical center of the city, which plays the leading role in intellectual, commercial, and social aspects of the city life. The improvement of city’s historical center that holds the major functions of the city, is necessary for its efficient functionality. Projecting of the artificial lighting system in the historical downtown as the aspect of beautification strategy, requires meticulous examination of the historically established illumination system. Fixation of the geographical and chronological results of the research on the map of Saratov determines the established lighting frame, footings and connections between them, level of intensity of the lighting, as well as serves as the foundation for formulation of the comprehensively substantiated concept of establishment of the favorable evening lighting environment in the historical downtown of the city.