WMAR2 news segment on sidewalk light strings being installed in the Butchers Hill neighborhood of Baltimore

 
 

It’s another great idea that started in Baltimore: street lights. We were the first city in the nation to install them. And now the resident associations of some Baltimore neighborhoods have gone a step further and begun installing string lights as well, not just for their beauty, but for their impact on crime. The goal, one neighbor said there, was to make neighbors more comfortable to outside their homes.

“If you ask anyone who’s dealing with crime, the more people on the street, the more eyes, the more engaging, the more neighbors who are a part of it, the less likely someone is going to take a crime of opportunity.”

So it’s about crime, but it’s also about beauty AND making neighbors feel more comfortable interacting in a shared public space.

Go visit Butchers Hill at night, and then let us know what you think about whether something like that would be welcome in HUB West Baltimore.