The Blight Stuff

I've long been fascinated by urban decay (or urban blight) for some reason. There's no shortage of it in North Philly, where I work most mornings. Some areas are on the rebound, but sadly, blocks like this one on Oxford Street between 24th and 25th Streets are still commonplace:

You can see the red paint on the lower walls of the houses, vain attempts to cover graffiti and other vandalism. This picture tells a much different story in black & white:

Creepy, right? This block is right on the northeast edge of Brewerytown, which is actually experiencing a small resurgence in the last few years. Actually, I have some friends who moved up that way. Not here, though.

As I ride past here on a semi-weekly basis, I wonder what this block may have looked like in its heyday. You know, when the paint was fresh, families inhabited every home and children played in the streets. Now it sits as a desolate place where there is very little life, but this seems far less depressing than it must have been when each house would be abandoned, one by one, each a victim of the slow decline of post-industrial America.

But hey, even in the wake of loss, there is always new life:

I think that's enough metaphors for today. The orange postings are imminence of demolition. There's only one inhabited home in that entire row (that I can see), and the remainder of them are in no shape for dwelling. We'll see what happens...