Study Links Brighter Street Lighting to Reduced Nighttime Crime

A study of street lighting upgrades in Philadelphia examined the results of replacing approximately 34,000 fixtures with brighter LED bulbs. The analysis found a 15 percent reduction in outdoor nighttime street crimes and a 21 percent reduction in outdoor nighttime gun violence following the changes.

Local residents reported feeling more comfortable in public spaces after the improvements, citing increased perceptions of safety in their neighborhoods.

In 2017, a former U.S. energy secretary stated that fossil fuels could help reduce sexual assault in certain villages in Africa by enabling reliable lighting. The same publication that reported the Philadelphia findings had previously described that position as anti-progress and outdated.

Intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar provide less consistent electricity than coal or natural gas, according to the report. The difference in reliability affects poorer regions more than wealthier ones, the analysis stated. Consistent lighting requires steady power generation that some observers say is more readily supplied by traditional fuel sources.