Pacific Standard shares news of a study that debunks a long-held assumption of public safety.
Lisa Wade digs into the research into the question of whether street lighting reduces crime. Although people, and sociologists, usually associate crime with economic factors like poverty and joblessness, "[w]hen early lighting companies began lobbying cities to install the first street lights at the end of the 1800s, they argued that bright lights would certainly deter crime."
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health concludes, however, that lighting does not deter crime. According to Wade, continuing to make an honest account of what does and does not deter crime, and how society might make investments with some hope of succeeding in reducing crime.
FULL STORY: Do Bright Street Lights Actually Reduce Crime?
Indianapolis Installing New Streetlights for the First Time in 35 Years
Indianapolis officials including Mayor Joe Hogsett gathered this week to celebrate the installation of the city's first new streetlight in 35 years.
Report: American Downtowns Safer Than You Think
A Brookings Institution study reveals that crime rates in major cities have risen, but downtown districts account for a negligible part of the growth.
Memphis: Crime-fighting Camera Sheds Light on Police Abuse
The irony is unmistakable. Public surveillance cameras, long controversial in the criminal justice community, provided pivotal video footage of the beating of motorist Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers at a traffic stop on January 7.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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