Good news! No, seriously, good news in Detroit. The city is installing brand-new LED streetlamps to replace aging or completely nonexistent streetlights, meaning that in due time, the entire city will be lit up as it should.
One of the biggest issues Detroit faces right now is an inability to keep many of — not all of; the lights in my neighborhood, for example, are on — the streets lit at night. This comes from a conundrum of problems: Aging infrastructure, copper thieves and, most of all, the city's inability to pay to keep the lights on.
With some money moved around and new administration in place, both Mayor Mike Duggan and the newly elected city council presented a new plan to have residential streets lit up over the next few months in test areas on the east and west sides before lighting up main thoroughfares. If everything goes smoothly, the plan will be expedited citywide.
Because the new LEDs have less copper, administrators are hoping that thieves will be deterred from ripping them off. This, compounded with extra police force on the street (seriously, there was a time when I'd never see a patroller, now I can't even drive to the bank without seeing two or three cars) should keep streets lit from now on.
Another added benefit to LED lighting over traditional lighting is that they use electricity, and Lord knows Detroit needs to save all the money it can right now. The city is expected to be fully lit up again by the end of 2015.