ABSTRACT
Many local governments have regulated street lighting through dimming, switching off, or rationing lights for economic and/or environmental purposes. However, while various actors have expressed concern about the possible impact of reduced street lighting on crime and the fear of crime, the literature on the impact of street lighting remains scarce. This chapter reviews contrasting international studies on the effect of implementing and reducing street lighting and concludes that despite mixed and uncertain results, street lighting does have a tangible effect on crime prevention and also reduces fear of crime. Although it cannot be stated that reduced street lighting has the opposite effect, the chapter is attentive to the conflicting interests that arise when street lighting is reduced: economic and ecological interests being framed against the safety of citizens in public spaces after dark.
