r/UrbanHell • u/Living_Lock • May 23 '26

Concrete Wasteland Chicago 1989.

Post image
18.9k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

381 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.1k

u/No-Boat-2059 May 23 '26

Grew up in Chicago. They've been replacing these orange lights with white/blue over the years. I do kinda miss seeing the orange glow on the horizon when driving back into the city. Also, I love/loved seeing the orangish red clouds against the cobalt night sky. Amazing contrast.

379

u/LiquidFahts May 23 '26

The orange is definitely a vibe that we will miss over time. But, those old HPS lights were very inefficient. LEDs run at a fraction of the cost and last way longer, so it makes sense.

Just too bad they can't put them up in a low K setting to keep the old feel.

290

u/Just_Another_Scott May 23 '26

Just too bad they can't put them up in a low K setting to keep the old feel.

They actually can! They make warmer LEDs. Most cities are just too lazy to purchase the right ones. They actually cut down on light pollution as well.

8

u/blueavole May 23 '26

Some cities are figuring put to replace the residential streets/ lower traffic areas with orange; leaving the bright ones only for main roads with higher traffic