Outdoor lighting has the potential to help reduce crime in all areas. A study done in New York City showed that extra lighting in apartment complex courtyards can help deter crime and keep people safe. This experiment was done through public housing complexes in New York City and reports showed that after extra lighting was installed, less crimes were committed on the premises. Lighting can be installed in all sorts of outdoor areas to ensure the safety of residents and bystanders. Lighting can be installed along the exterior of buildings where exits are, as well as streetlights in parking lots and along the streets. This type of lighting will be able to help deter crimes such as theft, violence and destruction of vehicles or the building itself.

For this experiment, researchers put temporary construction lights around the courtyard to illuminate it. Some are worried the lighting used for the experiment was not the type of lighting that should be used in a residential area.

Experts reported that the lights used gave off more lumens than the Yankee Stadium. When choosing a lighting system, it’s important to keep in mind what the purpose of lighting is and where it is being used. Having a lighting system too bright where people live can be a nuisance and affect people going on with their daily lives. It’s important to keep people safe but make the environment comfortable as well. For a residential area, the quality of life for the residents should be the main priority. There is a very wide variety of lamps to choose from when it’s time to enhance or renovate an area. Lighting can come in different colors and brightness for a variety of uses. Those involved in this experiment showed concern that the lights used were far too bright to be installed in the courtyard of a residential area.

Click here to read the full article, originally published April 28, 2022 by CNN.