Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia

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Los Angeles currently has a wonderful collection of historic pedestrian-scaled lamps in areas downtown, but few on commercial corridors in other parts of the city. Bringing pedestrian-scaled lights back to many of these streets can be a powerful way to improve neighborhood and traffic safety, all while supporting business districts and active pedestrian activity.

Compared to much taller “cobrahead” lamps that are currently the standards of the city's street lighting, shorter lamps can provide much greater illumination of sidewalks. Not only are light sources closer to the ground, they are substantially less affected by street tree canopies. Furthermore, pedestrian-scaled lights improve safety in many ways apart from providing greater visibility. Better sidewalk lighting can bring more customers to businesses later in the evening, supporting more active uses of city streets after dark. The reintroduction of pedestrian-scaled street lighting has played a significant and successful role in the revitalization of many American downtowns, the most notable example being Center City Philadelphia. These lamps do not necessarily need to replace existing cobrahead lamps – they are in any case a valuable addition to our sidewalks.