Towards a right to daylight: The art of campaigning

DLA Annual Conference 2026
Parallel Session G

Friday, 29 May 2026
from 11:00 – 12:30

Lead
Dr Micaela E. Martinez, Ecologist, Environmental JusticeAdvocate, USA

Description
This interactive workshop will build on the emerging Daylight Academy initiative to advocate for a Right to Daylight – understood as a fundamental condition for human wellbeing, ecosystem health, and the integrity of life on Earth.

Initial reflections have outlined a possible conceptual framework, including the idea of daylight as both a human right and a right of nature, as well as key pillars and directions for advocacy. The workshop will take these first elements further by exploring how such a vision could be translated into a concrete and effective campaign.

Guided by an expert in environmental advocacy, participants will be introduced to the core elements of successful advocacy – from framing a compelling narrative to identifying target audiences and defining strategic entry points.

Working in an interdisciplinary group, participants will contribute their perspectives to shape the foundations of a potential campaign. The workshop will explore how scientific knowledge, design, policy, and cultural approaches can come together to articulate why access to daylight matters – and how this can be communicated in ways that resonate across sectors and societies.

Rather than aiming to finalise a campaign, the session is designed as a hands-on exploration of the Right to Daylight. Participants will brainstorm and come together to help determine the individual and collective principles to form the base of the campaign, the mission and vision of the campaign, and entry points for advocacy at grassroots, local, national, and international levels,  offering both a first step in structuring the Right to Daylight initiative and practical insights into the art of campaigning for complex, cross-cutting topics. Participants will be encouraged to approach daylight from a holistic, multidisciplinary, and multi-sector lens. For more on the holistic view of daylight, please refer to recent publications of the Daylight Academy, Daylight Matters (https://daylightmatters.org/) and Lumi’s Delight (https://tscnlab.github.io/LumisDelight/).

Objectives

• Brainstorm key elements of a Right to Daylight campaign, including its core narrative and framing
• Identify priority audiences for the first 1-2 years of the campaign and potential advocacy pathways (e.g. policy, built environment, and social awareness)
• Translate scientific and interdisciplinary knowledge into compelling messages for different target groups
• Explore the role of different disciplines (science, architecture, art, policy, communication) in shaping and supporting the campaign
• Lay the groundwork for future working groups by identifying key questions, contributions, and next steps