STREET LIGHTING PROJECTS - NATIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAM PHASE I FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 47010
• Author(s): J M TIEN; V O'DONNELL; A I BARNETT; P B MIRCHAN DANI
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 272 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76NI-99-0090
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Public Systems Evaluation, Inc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NATIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAM

Annotation

THE PRESENT STATE OF KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THE IMPACT OF STREET LIGHTING ON CRIME AND THE FEAR OF CRIME IS GIVEN. DATA IS BASED ON A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PAST AND ONGOING PROJECTS WHOSE IMPACT HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED.

Abstract

THE REPORT BRIEFLY TRACES THE HISTORICAL AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT OF STREET LIGHTING, REVIEWS PERTINENT ISSUES RELATED TO STREET LIGHTING AND CRIME, AND DEVELOPS A FRAMEWORK FOR THE EVALUATION OF PROJECTS. IT THEN ASSESSES AVAILABLE EVALUATION STUDIES, IDENTIFIES GAPS IN PRESENT KNOWLEDGE, AND RECOMMENDS FUTURE RESEARCH. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A LACK OF UNIFORM DATA, RESEARCH INDICATES THAT WHILE IMPROVED STREET LIGHTING DOES NOT RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN CRIME, PARTICULARLY IF CRIME DISPLACEMENT IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, IT DOES SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE FEAR OF CRIME. IT IS FURTHER CONCLUDED THAT A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT CANNOT BE MADE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF STREET LIGHTING ON CRIME. ADEQUATE LIGHT LEVELS DO MORE THAN MAKE IT EASIER TO SEE A POTENTIAL ASSAILANT; THEY CHANGE THE CHARACTER OF A STREET, ENCOURGING TRAFFIC AND PROMOTING A GREATER FEELING OF SAFETY. FOR THIS REASON, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT LEAA CONTINUE TO FUND STREET LIGHTING PROJECTS BECAUSE THESE VARIOUS FACTORS INTERACT TO MAKE A NEIGHBORHOOD LESS ATTRACTIVE TO CRIMINALS. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT CAREFULLY DESIGNED STUDIES BE FUNDED TO DETERMINE THE EXACT IMPACT OF LIGHT LEVELS ON BOTH INDIVIDUAL PERCEPTIONS OF SECURITY AND AREA-WIDE CRIME FIGURES, INCLUDING POSSIBLE DISPLACEMENT OF CRIME. TABLES PRESENT IMPACT OBJECTIVES OF STREET LIGHTING SYSTEMS, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROJECTS SELECTED FOR STUDY, VARIOUS STREETLIGHTING CONFIGURATIONS USED BY THE STUDIED PROJECTS, SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF BASIC LAMP TYPES, VARIOUS STREET LIGHTING STANDARDS, COSTS INVOLVED IN STREET LIGHTING PROJECTS, EVALUATION MEASURES USED IN THE STUDY PROJECTS, AND AN EXTENSIVE TABLE PRESENTING THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE WITH GAPS INDICATED. APPENDIXES PRESENT A BIBLIOGRAPHY, A LISTING OF JURISDICTIONS CONTACTED DURING THE COURSE OF THIS STUDY, AND TECHNICAL MATERIALS EXPLAINING COMMON MEASURES OF LIGHT QUALITY AND QUANTITY AND SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS TYPES OF LAMPS. (GLR)