Outdoor Lighting and Crime - Amper

the first place now have to accept the need to decrease their apparent contribution to the
growth of urban crime, as well as the need to decrease associated adverse environmental
effects (eg Ogden 1996).
On existing knowledge, capping outdoor lighting flux to existing values will not reduce
existing crime levels but only limit further increases to those presumably associated with
population growth, urbanisation, urban intensification and urban sprawl. Rigid capping
would therefore be only a useful precursor for subsequent full-scale efforts to moderate and
rationalise all outdoor lighting for crime reduction purposes.
Even the initial light moderation measures proposed may be seen by some people as
draconian. But doing nothing will ultimately result in whole countries moving towards crime
rates like those already inflicted on urban centres, while the urban centres themselves are
forced on to even greater levels of crime as a result of unfettered lighting growth.
National and regional governments will need to keep up with research on the topic and to
consider the introduction of appropriate lighting control laws and regulations. Environment
protection authorities that have not already included adverse effects of artificial light in their
charters and operational activities will need to do so promptly and to act decisively on the
issues thereafter.
8.3 CONSEQUENCES FOR NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND URBAN
PLANNING
8.3.1 Lighting growth as an urban problem
The planning ramifications of this work seem likely to be far reaching. Urban development
and intensification is typically undertaken to fit more people into a city occupying a given
area of land. Some might be residents, others will be commuters, and yet others, visitors. All
will be goods and services providers or consumers, or both. More or bigger buildings and
improvements to other infrastructure are typical ways of coping with increased numbers of
people and increased demands of individuals for living space and facilities. Generally, the
process is market-driven. If people aren’t attracted to an urban centre or to some feature of it
then that part of the process is likely to be curtailed or stopped. Artificial light appears to be a
key component in increasing the attractiveness of an area, especially in twilight and at night.
Profitable utilisation of facilities beyond daylight hours appears to be an important factor for
profit and consequent further growth. Keeping the outdoor lighting in the vicinity (including
access roads and outdoor car parks) brighter than in the surroundings and in competing areas
appears to be important in continuing to attract customers.
Urban renewal has a similar course except that the process is more likely to be driven initially
by the need to do something about areas that are run down, thought to be inadequately
utilised, or are not attractive enough to be profitable. Again, lighting has a key part in giving
the impression that the renewed area is welcoming at night and supposedly safe. Otherwise,
given present beliefs, the area can hardly be expected to prosper.
Urban development, and on a broader scale, metropolitan development, appears to be a
common method of attempting to limit suburban sprawl as the urbanisation of national
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