by Jim Uttley, Aleksandra Liachenko Monteiro and Steve Fotios , the conversation, September 28, 2018
https://theconversation.com/the-science-of-street-lights-what-makes-people-feel-safe-at-night-103805
Street lights may or may not have an effect on crime, but one thing’s for sure – brighter levels of light do make people feel safer when walking at night. This can lead to a significant increase in the number of minutes people spend walking each week. It can also reduce the number of people who avoid leaving their homes at night, reduce social isolation, improve physical and mental well-being and increase community pride.
Today, average illuminance is the main measure used when installing and evaluating street lighting. But we found that, while increasing average illuminance was linked with improved feelings of safety, uniformity was more important for making people feel safe. So it might be more important to have evenly distributed lighting, rather than bright lighting, to make people feel safer.
The lights that we have on the streets at night might not always decrease the amount of crime but does alter how safe one feels at night. This article talks about the importance of using a greater uniformity of light to make people feel more safe.
