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Programs
October 30, 2025

Crime Prevention through Enhanced Street Lighting

Last Revised: October 30, 2025

Issue Areas
Justice and public safety

Program overview

  • Illuminating outdoor public spaces to reduce crime: Street lighting is intended to deter crime by improving visibility at night, therefore reducing anonymity and increasing the perceived risk of detection and apprehension. Initiatives to improve street lighting can be led by government agencies or public-private partnerships, which may include law enforcement, utility companies, the local housing authority, and more.

  • Focusing on high-crime areas: Crime tends to be highly concentrated within small spatial areas, which can guide decisions about where to install enhanced lighting. For example, researchers selected New York City public housing sites to test a street lighting intervention in a randomized control trial, where rates of violent crime were disproportionately high despite the city’s overall decline in crime.

  • Generating return on investment: Street lighting interventions require minimal human capital to implement and maintain, making them a cost-effective technique to reduce crime. For example, in New York City the projected economic value of crimes averted was over $750,000 per community annually, with an estimated benefit-to-cost ratio of four to one.

  • Improving perceptions of public safety: Enhanced street lighting can have both real and perceived benefits. Studies have found that street lighting improves residents’ perceptions of safety in their community (see MacDonald et al., 2025, and Kaplan and Chalfin, 2021), which may contribute to increased social cohesion and therefore indirectly improve economic outcomes.

Multiple studies of street lighting interventions provide some evidence for them as a strategy for reducing crime. There has been one randomized control trial of street lighting interventions, which finds that improved street lighting has a statistically significant effect on crime reduction. A meta-analysis finds that street lighting interventions contribute to overall crime reduction, with stronger effects for property crime than for violent crime. Further research is needed to guide consensus on the types of crime for which this intervention is most effective, as well as the effects of the intervention on surrounding areas.

  • A 2016 randomized control trial evaluated the impact of street lighting on crime in public housing developments in New York City. Treated areas experienced a 59% reduction in outdoor nighttime crimes. After accounting for possible spillover to surrounding areas (that is, displacement of crime to nearby streets), the net crime reduction was at least 36%. A follow-up study published in 2022 found that effects persisted in the three years after the initial intervention period.

  • A 2025 mixed-methods evaluation in Philadelphia and a 2024 outcome evaluation in Newark both suggest that lighting enhancements contributed to decreased violent crime.

  • A 2022 systematic review finds that street lighting interventions are associated with a desirable effect on total crime, but that deterrence effects are only statistically significant for property crimes, not violent crimes.

  • Engage the community to build buy-in: Communities might resist street lighting enhancements for a variety of reasons, for example, if the installation process is disruptive or if lighting is perceived as contributing to light pollution. To build consensus, engage resident or community organizations in the planning process. Be prepared to address residents’ concerns and share data demonstrating the anticipated positive outcomes of the intervention.

  • Mobilize partners across sectors: The New York City street lighting program evaluated through an RCT was implemented through a partnership between the mayor’s office, law enforcement, and the housing authority. Similar partnership models are being implemented elsewhere: for example, a street lighting program in Newark is being implemented through a partnership between the local utility company and the Newark Collaborative for Public Safety, which includes representatives from state and local government, higher education, community-based organizations, law enforcement, and more.

  • Prioritize high-risk locations and reliable lighting solutions: Focus deployment in areas with high baseline levels of nighttime crime to maximize impact. Ensure lights are highly visible, reliable, and well-maintained. Recent studies have found that implementing energy-efficient LED lights has effectively reduced crime, though more research is needed to understand precisely what types of lights are optimal as technology continues to evolve.

  • Utilize local data to measure effectiveness: Use local crime data to assess whether street lighting interventions have the intended effect on directly affected areas and neighboring areas. Compare data before and after lighting installations are complete, and disaggregate data by type of crime (property crime versus violent crime) and time of day to understand trends and patterns. To the extent possible, compare implementation costs to the social costs of alternative enforcement methods (such as increased police presence and arrests) to assess the return on investment.

Learn more:
U.S. Department of Justice, Practice Profile: Improved Street Lighting U.S. Department of Justice, Improving Street Lighting to Reduce Crime in Residential Areas UK College of Policing, Crime Reduction Toolkit: Street Lighting