Detroit lights up from outer space

Last month, we showed you the impact that the Public Lighting Authority’s LED light installation had around the city. Over the course of nearly three years, the PLA installed over 64,000 lights across every neighborhood in Detroit. Considering the city had a serious lack of light in many areas, the LED lights have made a huge difference in residents’ daily lives. The New York Times even noticed lately! Students from the College for Creative Studies documented the installation here.

Now we can see the region from a broader view. We’re loving the attention this picture tweeted by Astronaut Shane Kimbraugh is receiving on Twitter. Early Monday morning, he took a picture of Detroit, Toledo, and Cleveland from space, and the impact the new LED lights have around town are quite evident. The only thing missing is that purple haze from the lights over Ford Field.

To see how far we’ve come, Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley tweeted a comparison between 2008 and now.

Puts our daily problems into perspective, right? OK, we can check lighting off the list. What’s next, Detroit?