Alice Wainwright Park in Miami, Florida is now fully illuminated by 53 new solar-powered lampposts following the $350,000 investment in what was dubbed a “resiliency project”, WLRN reports.

However, the council has come under criticism after it emerged the park would remain closed after sunset – with some civic society groups suggesting the new lights are exclusively intended to deter homeless people.

Albert Gomez, co-founder of the Miami Climate Alliance, said: “Taking away homeless people’s ability to sleep in a park, how is that adding to resiliency?”

He added: “The way they qualified it is because they are solar lights. Therefore by deploying solar lights, in air quotes, you meet the checkbox in their checklist for meeting the resiliency criteria.

“It’s a perfect example of how when you don’t have a selection criteria, things can get ‘ridered’ onto existing renovation projects that aren’t really truly resilient.”