The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-26
GOOD STREET LIGHTING
ADVANCES CITYS VALUE

That good street lighting. or even
spectacularly brilliant Illumination.
generally pays a city in dollars aad
cents, is asserted by a writer in The
Illuminating Engineer New York.
June), Generally speaking. he says.
the value OF property on a business
street Is proportional to the number
of people who make use of IL as
thoroughfare Thus;
"A corner lot on Broadway is worth
more than a lot in the latest subdi-
vision on Long Island, simply and
solely because a greater number of
people pass the Broadway corner dur.
ing the day. II not infrequently hap
pens that opposite sides OF a street
on the same block have considerably
different values. due 10 the same
cause. Anything which adds to the
traffic of a given street must. there
fore, add to the value of the abuttlng
property. While conditions of acces-
sibility to necessary utilities, such as
railway stations. hotels. banks. public
buildings. etc. have doubtless a pre-
DonderatinG influence In determining
the traffic of a street, il is equally true
that no subsidiary condition has such
a vital effect as the lighting CincIn-
natl has long open square In the
center of its business section, which
naturally affords A prominent location
for business. II happens that one side
OF this square has been brilliantly
lighted up, mostly by private enter
prise AS a result nIne.tenths of the
pedestrians In the evening take that
side of the square. with the result
that II is far more valuable as a busi-
ness location than the opposite side
The merchants on one of Newark's
main business streets saw that the
bulk Of traffic failed to pass them in
the natural course of business; they
installed a brilliant system of street
lighting. and forthwith their street
became the center of attraction, a1d
similar instances can be cited in nu-
merous other cities. 1t would. OF
course, be absurd 10 expect TO create
a popular business street out of a
thoroughfaTe lying far beyond the ma
tural limits OF traffic; but there is no
question that any street directly tribu-
tary to a business thoroughfare can
be fully doubled in value by the In
stallation Of spectacular lighting.
"In a more general way,lighting the
entire business section of a city up TO
the standards of modern illumination
does for the city as a whole what the
lighting of a particular street does for
that section; il increases values by
increasing tramc. not only from the
CITY Itself, but from the surrounding
country and nearby towns. That good
light Increases the value of residen-
tlal streets by making them more de-
sirable needs no argument. Good
street lighting, more than any other
thing. gives TO n city an air of pro
gressiveness and prosperity. Nothing
succeeds Ike success; TO appear pros
porous is the first step 10 being pros
porous"
Lighting. OF course, is a business as
set from an even broader point of
view than this 1t is. for instance, an
efficient measure OF public safety and
even of sanitation. Before the days of
systematic street lighting only those
venturcd out at night who had urgent
business or ample bodyguard. City
streets have become safe just to the
extent lndl lltS nav bA'i NNli iith
ed To quote further
"It is true that light alone would be
insufficient protection, but 1t is equal
" true that police alone, in any rea-
sonable numbers. can not afford com
plete protection. While this fact is
generally recognized, there is one
phase OF the matter on which more
public education Is needed. 1t is the
practice in many cities, especially the
smaller. TO extinguish considerable
portion OF the street lights at midnight
or thereabouts. thus leaving them
without this important protection FOR
half of the night. To be sure. many
streets are little frequented during
this period: but a single breach or
public order resulting in robbery or
murder would more than Offset the
additional expense involved A city
in these days can certainly afford, and
the citizens reasonably expect 20 have
the fullest possible degree of protec-
ton every hour of the day. The mid