Press Release
Study Finds Citywide Streetlight Replacement Project Achieves 21% Reduction in Gun Violence
Energy-savings project – the City’s largest to date – results in public safety as well as sustainability benefits. Cost-effective infrastructure investment is part of city’s toolbox creating a cleaner, greener, safer Philly
Philadelphia, PA — The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) and City leadership announced findings from a University of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab study showing that the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project (PSIP) has achieved a 21-percent reduction in nighttime outdoor gun crimes where new lights were installed. The study demonstrates the connection between this energy-saving citywide infrastructure project and improvements in public safety.
PSIP is converting over 130,000 high pressure sodium streetlights into a network of more efficient, longer-lasting LED lights. It is the single largest energy conservation project the City has undertaken.
The study, led by University of Pennsylvania Professor of Criminology and Sociology John MacDonald, Ph.D., demonstrates that large-scale streetlight upgrades can lead to significant reductions in crime rates. The analysis evaluated the effect of upgrading 34,374 streetlights across 13,275 blocks in Philadelphia between August 2023 and May 2024. During that period, the studied areas experienced an overall 15-percent drop in nighttime outdoor crimes, including a 21-percent reduction in gun crimes, 20-percent decline in violent crimes, and 16-percent decrease in property crimes. The study also included a qualitative study of residents suggesting that perceptions of safety and neighborhood vitality improved following the installation of new streetlights.
“My mission is to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest, greenest, big city in the nation, with access to economic opportunity for all. As a cost-neutral, job-creating initiative that both reduces emissions and enhances public safety, the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project checks all of those boxes at once. This initiative demonstrates how our sustainability initiatives are improving safety and wellbeing in our neighborhoods.” said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
“The benefits of deploying cost-effective energy infrastructure like streetlighting citywide are not limited to energy and cost savings,” said Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson (Second District). “Brighter street lighting citywide has improved perceptions of safety and neighborhood vitality, demonstrating the City of Philadelphia and City Council’s commitment to improve quality of life in every neighborhood through reliable city services. Thank you to the Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) for leading the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project and replacing our city’s outdated streetlights with new state-of-the-art lighting.”
"As a longtime champion of the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project, I'm thrilled to see that this citywide initiative is already paying off," said Philadelphia City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson. "Our communities have long known that by making investments in our lighting infrastructure, we can not only reduce the occurrence of violent crime, but address nighttime traffic fatalities as well. Better yet, in our efforts to upgrade all of Philadelphia's 134,552 streetlights, we will be reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Thank you to the entire team at the Philadelphia Energy Authority for their tireless leadership in this area. I can't wait to see the continued progress on this project."
"This study by the Crime and Justice Policy Lab suggests that large-scale streetlight upgrades have helped public safety in Philadelphia significantly, and the strength of the results suggests that place-based crime prevention activities may help improve overall public safety at levels greater than previously observed," said John MacDonald, Professor of Criminology and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania.
PSIP is a citywide effort led by PEA and the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Streets and Office of Sustainability. More than 105,000 fixtures have been installed since the PSIP began construction in August 2023. The project is being delivered on time and on budget with an expected completion date in Fall 2025.
The $91 million Guaranteed Energy Savings Act project pays for itself with $8 million dollars of annual energy and operational savings to the City. The project will reduce municipal carbon emissions by nearly 10% — more than any other energy efficiency project — making it a key strategy in the City’s Municipal Energy Master Plan.
“Energy efficiency is one of our most effective tools for tackling some of Philadelphia’s biggest challenges,” said Philadelphia Energy Authority President & CEO Emily Schapira. “PSIP is a great example of an energy project that checks all the boxes – delivering updated critical infrastructure, improving public safety, and driving economic and environmental benefits to businesses and residents. We hope these significant findings will encourage peer cities to follow Philadelphia’s lead in using energy as a tool to improve quality of life.”
“PSIP shows how sustainability initiatives deliver win-win outcomes that improve safety and wellbeing in our neighborhoods while simultaneously getting us closer to our long-term climate goals,” said Liz Lankenau, Director, Office of Sustainability. “The City is committed to launching innovative initiatives that create a virtuous cycle of social, economic, and environmental benefits for all Philadelphians.”
PSIP prioritizes local, diverse economic development and workforce opportunities. The Streets Department used its Future Track program to support PSIP’s alleyway clearing to allow for access to fixture replacements, supporting employment of over 200 people and training for future City employment. In addition to Future Track, the project brought manufacturing opportunities to Philadelphia, partnering with American Power Electrical Supply Company, a minority business entity (MBE), to set up an on-site final assembly pod and hire a local team of six young people to assemble and test 40,000 fixtures for use on PSIP.
"The Philly Streetlight Improvement Project has it all, workforce development, energy efficiency, and public safety." said Department of Streets Commissioner Kristin Del Rossi. "These are benefits you can see and feel in communities all across Philadelphia."
“The Office of Clean and Green is extremely proud of the work Future Track completed for the Philly Street Light Improvement Project,” said Carlton Williams, Director, Office of Clean and Green Initiatives. “Future Track participants cleaned over 1,800 alleyways during the project, clearing the way for alley lights to be repaired, making it safer and cleaner for our citizens. These alleyways are now accessible for the police and fire in cases of emergency.”
"At the Office of Public Safety, we recognize that a coordinated all-of-government approach is needed to create safer communities and to reduce violence on our streets. We are all safer as a result of the collaborative process that led to successful implementation of the Philly Streetlight Improvement Project," said Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer. "Recognizing the powerful potential for LED streetlight conversions to enhance public safety, the PSIP team embraced partnering with the University of Pennsylvania's Crime and Justice Policy Lab to rigorously validate the safety potential of this transformative project. The Office of Public Safety is very pleased to have played a role in this important study."
"We've long had an intuitive sense that lighting could reduce crime by creating a deterrence against criminal activity that would otherwise go unnoticed. We've also had a few previous studies showing the potential of lighting to improve public safety in specific places, but this is the first look at the effects of a citywide lighting strategy,” MacDonald said. “Even as Philadelphia was dropping in violence overall, our research suggests that better lighting infrastructure contributes to meaningful reductions in crime – over and above the citywide trends."
“We were proud to support the University of Pennsylvania Crime and Justice Policy Lab and Philadelphia Energy Authority in bringing community voices into this important project,” said Arun Prabhakaran, President, Urban Affairs Coalition. “Through focus groups held in neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence, residents shared how the new streetlights are shaping their sense of safety and daily experience. It’s critical that residents have a voice in shaping solutions that affect their blocks, their safety, and their everyday lives.”
About Philadelphia Energy Authority
The Philadelphia Energy Authority (PEA) is an independent municipal authority focused on building a robust, equitable clean energy economy for Philadelphia. Launched in 2016, PEA leads the Philadelphia Energy Campaign, a $1 billion, 10-year investment in energy efficiency and clean energy projects to create 10,000 jobs. To date, PEA has supported over $1 billion in projects and created more than 8,300 jobs. Learn more at www.philaenergy.org.
About Philadelphia City Council
Philadelphia City Council is the legislative arm of Philadelphia municipal government. Keep up with Council on phlcouncil.com, and on X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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