A street light, light pole, lamppost, street lamp, light standard, or lamp standard is an elevated source of light positioned along the edge of a road or pathway, serving as an essential part of modern commercial street lighting and decorative roadway lighting systems. When urban electric power distribution became widespread in developed countries during the 20th century, street lighting expanded alongside it and, in some cases, even preceded it. This evolution shaped much of antique street lamp history and influenced today’s architectural lamp posts for municipalities as well as decorative residential lamp posts. Many lamps are equipped with light-sensitive photocells that automatically activate when lighting is needed, such as at dusk, dawn, or during dark weather conditions. In older lighting systems, this function was often performed with the aid of a solar dial. Today, many street light systems are connected underground rather than through overhead wiring between utility poles, improving reliability while preserving the visual appeal of surrounding streetscapes.