Carrollton, Kentucky, USA

How do we honor our veterans? Here's one method: We personalize attention-getting banners and hang them from every pole in town, thus turning our streets into an outdoor portrait gallery. Over the last twenty years, this has become a national trend. Remember: Veterans Day is tomorrow. [2022]

Ronceverte, West Virginia, USA

Beautiful begonia! But, what's overhead? A former bridge that has had its pavement removed. That's good for the begonia, which now gets more light and does a better job of inspiring pride in the community (along with the flag, of course). [2021]

London, England, USA

Have you ever looked at a tree trunk as a canvass? First, look at the bark. London planetrees are best at mottling their bark. Second, look at the ivy. English ivy is best at turning the canvass green. Third, look at the shadows. Lamp posts are best at providing light, but in this case they're casting shade: enigmatic, just like art should be. [2015]

Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

They haven't offered tours of the chocolate factory since 1973. Guess who was on one of the last. They have had Kisses for street lights for as long as anyone can remember, including guess who. The whole town used to hang heavy with the smell of chocolate, but it doesn't anymore. Guess who remembers when it did? Geographically Yours, of course. [2019]

Pocomoke City, Maryland, USA

Even without any pedestrians on the streets, the town of Pokomoke City exudes a friendly feel, seemingly deserving of its moniker "friendliest town on the Eastern Shore." The brick sidewalks, stylized street lights, and town clock go a long way toward reminding everyone what Market Street looked like in the early 20th century. [2018]

Bang Plee, Thailand

Let's call them genius loci. Translated (from Latin), that means 'spirits of place.' These spirits do seem to have a glow about them: in part because they're gilded and in part because they are street lights. But one appears to be a broken spirit. Which one? [2016]

Roswell, New Mexico, USA

For teachers: Here's a project idea to connect your students with their community. Re-design the street lights in town to mimic a unique element of local geography. In Roswell, they have chosen from the realm of cultural geography (perhaps imagined). Is this what Jane Jacobs meant when she wrote about "eyes on the street"? [2016]

Tlaquepaque, Sedona, Arizona, USA

Who's the mural artist here? Mother Nature, of course. She's working with shadows. Might shadows have been the inspiration for the world's first mural art 40,000 years ago? [2009]

Gloucester Courthouse, Virginia, USA

Just like the first Thanksgiving at Berkeley Plantation, the Virginia county of Gloucester has Berkeley roots as well. The Berkeley family was from Gloucestershire, England. Now, it's the day after Thanksgiving, so let the countdown to Christmas begin! In Gloucester Courthouse, it begins by hoisting holiday banners along Main Street. [2013]

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Welcome to the Celtic fringe of the British Isles. In Glasgow, as in Dublin, lamp poles are shaped like shepherd's crooks, symbols of each city's patron saint. Let St. Mungo's staff shed some light on the founding of Glasgow: "Here is the bird that never flew. Here is the tree that never grew. Here is the bell that never rang. Here is the fish that never swam." [2004]

Dublin, Ireland

What element of the cultural landscape is on view here? (a) a street light; (b) a doctrinal catechism; (c) a talisman, (d) a leitmotif, (e) a shepherd's crook, (f) a metaphor; (g) a city brand; (h) all of the above. [2004]

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

A shadow just doubles the aesthetic effect of a faux gas lamp. Design your night lights well for they may help brighten up the daylight hours too. Any evidence this lamp has roots in 19th century Danish design? [2014]

Urbanna, Virginia, USA

Street lights rise above the fray.
They are important night and day.
At night, they offer light.
By day, they play with shades of gray.
[2013]

Dalton, Georgia, USA

Shadows add action to otherwise inert landscapes. It's almost as if they are alive with a creativity of their own. Here a street light adds no light to a brick wall. Anyone need more evidence that there's a parallel universe out there? [2013]

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

In only a few hours, the new year will begin making its way around the world, time zone by time zone. For a brief moment, our planet will be divided between two different years. Then, even American Samoa will catch up, and 2013 will recede into the shadows. [2006]

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Fleur-de-Lis: so New Orleans!
Color Coral: so New Orleans!
Balcony (Faux): so New Orleans!
Wrought Iron: so New Orleans!
Gas Lamp: so New Orleans!
Buskers Busking: so New Orleans!
Washboard Strum: so New Orleans!
Bourbon Street: so New Orleans!
[2011]

San Marcos, Texas, USA

"In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, San Marcos firemen were summoned to a blaze by the clanging sound of a huge triangle which hung from a tree limb at the right of this entrance to the Hays County Courthouse." So sayeth the San Marcos Historical Preservation Commission. [2012]

Douglas, Isle of Man

The triskelion is the Isle of Man's national symbol. It has insinuated itself into every cranny and curve of the island's cultural landscape. Because it looks like a pinwheel, you're tempted to give it a spin: what a perfect reminder of the wheels that make Man a motorspots mecca. [2011]