As South Africa observes Women’s Month, nonprofit organisation the Mission for Inner City Cape Town is highlighting the role that improved public lighting can play in making urban spaces safer and more welcoming after dark.
The organisation has installed more than 1.1 km of festoon lighting across six busy pedestrian routes in Cape Town’s inner vity, adding about 940 LED bulbs to improve visibility and encourage greater use of public spaces after sunset.
The installations, which have been rolled out progressively since the programme was launched, cover Church lane, the St George’s/Reserve Bank block, Upper Shortmarket street, Lower Shortmarket street near Café Santé, the Clock Tower and Hout street.
The programme comes into particular focus during Women’s Month, as women can experience public spaces differently, especially after dark, with the quality of lighting often influencing decisions about which routes to take and when to travel.
Mission for Inner City Cape Town co-founder Brad Armitage says improved lighting is a relatively simple intervention that can influence how people use urban spaces.
