Let There Be More Light In San José Parks at Night

Things are looking bright for downtown San José – at least where parks are nearby.

A campaign to light up the parks in central San José at night kicked off last Friday at a celebration during the illumination of the Plaza de la Democracia, according to a statement from the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE). The plaza is in the city center, adjacent to theNationalMuseum, between Ave. Central and Ave. 2.

The project is an initiative of the Regional and Urban Planning in the Greater Metropolitan Area Program (PRU-GAM). The National Power and Light Company – a subsidiary of ICE – installed 37 decorative lamps in the park for the project. ICE said the lighting project cost just over $15,000 (¢9 million).

The Illumination of Urban Parks Project was a recommendation of PRUGAM, an urban planning program Costa Rica’s central valley supported in part by the European Union. With the participation of ICE and the municipality of San José, the project’s aim is to illuminate every park in central San José in order to discourage  criminal elements, in the hope that passersbywill have a new-found sense of security in areas that tend to lose their charm when the sun sets.

The Plaza de la Democracia was the first of 16 similar projects in parks to be finished this year, ICE said. Additionally, heavily trafficked areas in the city also will receive the benefit of brighter lights, including the city’s central streets.

–Daniel Shea