Street and city
Streetlight
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A pole with a light source that lights the street, sidewalk or plaza at night.
Solves
What it solves
It makes the path and people visible, which gives safety and extends street life after sunset. In the tropics night falls early all year round.
Today
Light the sidewalk and the person first, with warm light aimed downward and without glare. Keep lighting even so there are no dark patches between poles.
Common mistake
Using very white, strong light that dazzles, intrudes into homes and blots out the night sky.
Tomorrow
Warm, low light aimed at the ground protects neighbors’ sleep and the lives of insects, birds and sea turtles on the coast. Better lighting is not always more lighting.
Fact In 2016 an American medical association recommended using LED light of no more than 3,000 K for street lighting.
Where it comes from
- 1Rome and the Islamic world Rome, Baghdad and Córdoba, Antiquity and Middle Ages
The Romans lit streets with oil lamps, and cities such as Baghdad and Córdoba were lit in a similar way. - 2Industrial Revolution London, 1807
The first demonstration of gas street lighting took place on Pall Mall. - 3Costa Rica San José, 1884
On August 9, 1884, 25 bulbs of the country’s first electric street lighting were switched on in the capital.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Street and city
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.