Yesterday a few friends and i headed into the Fishtown section of the city to see a couple local musicians and took notice of the area. Coming from West Philadelphia and even Center City, spring is here and everything is in bloom and the city is vibrant. Fishtown was a little different. The area is in somewhat of a transition period as more young people (mostly white), artists, musicians, professionals are moving in and are bringing excitement and culture to Fishtown. It feels the same way Northern Liberties did only a few years back and can only continue to improve. Like most of the city, especially the less wealthy sections, Fishtown contains a multitude of vacant properties, most of which are simply fenced off, have no trees, only overgrown unsightly vegetation, and are layered in litter. The prominence of open lots puts a tarnish on any neighborhood; however, this doesn't have to be the case as each lot could potentially be transformed. The city and the horticultural society have already begun creating small parks throughout the city which bring at least some nature into deprived parts of the city. Hopefully in the next couple years some of these space will be blooming and beautiful.

http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/phlgreen/current-neighborhoodparks.html