This community is not well-lit!
Photo by PARK HONG KYU on Unsplash
I grew up in a neighborhood with numerous street lights aligning the street. I remember it well because our parents always told us to be home when the street lights came on. If a street light didn’t work, it became a hot topic within the neighborhood, and the community would band together to get the city to repair it.
Since then, I have lived in various communities with roughly the same concept. The streets were well lit, and most houses had outside lighting. My new neighborhood is pitch black! So much so I took it upon myself to immediately illuminate my home, and I wrote about it here:
https://www.inyerself.com/post/the-satisfying-feeling-of-landscape-lighting-part-1
There are positives to house lighting. The homes in our neighborhood are very aesthetically-pleasing and look so much better when they are lit. Call it “Curb Appeal,” but it most certainly adds value to a home. I look at it as an upgrade if done right. There is also a sense of security when you arrive at a not-so-dark house at night. It takes a bit of the unknown out of the equation.
There is a negative about lighting, and that is light pollution. As explained to me, some of the original owners within the neighborhood were against lighting. It was for this reason our association had no street lights.
Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash
Light pollution was not lost on me, and I was deliberate in asking my next-door neighbor if it was ok for us to add lighting to our garage. Our side-facing garage faces the side of her house in which her bedroom is located and it is very well-lit. She appreciated the lighting as she rounds her home daily while walking her dog. She told me the lighting was a welcome addition as now when can see where she is walking and feel safe doing so.
The rest of my lighting is of the direct or down-facing variety with minimal diffusion. I have read articles speaking of unwanted lights being shone upon adjacent homes from neighbors also know as intrusive lighting. In most cases the neighbor doesn’t even know they are encroaching on their fellow man. I have made sure this was not the case with my lighting situation and “yes” the nighttime starlit sky can still be viewed.
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