Marilyn Dombowski awakes each morning to a constant reminder of the vacant lot issue in Philadelphia and Port Richmond, because whenever she wants to sit on her porch, an abandoned lot is the first thing that she sees.
“I have one crappy view from my porch,” Dombowski said, “that’s why I don’t like sitting out here.” She isn’t the only person with the problem; many vacant lots surround the neighborhood that Dombowski calls home.

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A  pink tank sits in the middle of a green grass lot located between Susquehanna and Norris Street, along Frankford Avenue.  It was originally created for the annual Kinetic Sculpture Derby, an event that the Kensington and surrounding areas look forward to each year.  This particular device is a six-man, powered-operated machine that stands out for both its motor and bright camouflage pink display. Its exotic presence adds …

On an unseasonably warm March afternoon, a group of four fishermen lines the pier at Pulaski Park. They bait their hooks with shrimp and cast their lines into the Delaware River. Some days they catch catfish. Other days they don’t. But they visit the park frequently, especially in the warmer months, to fish and to relax. “I’ve seen more than 50 people here at once during the summertime,” says Victor Delgado, a Port Richmond resident in his mid-twenties. “People come here to have picnics and have a good time. They fish, eat, throw their …

Imagine driving through an industrial complex. Instantly, your mind flashes to smoking pipelines that are beating our ozone layer into a bloody pulp. You imagine lonely, littered, and seemingly abandoned streets. You see lines of over-sized factories surrounded in menacing barbed wire fences and uninviting empty lots that you know could be used for so much more. An area like this could ruin just about any community. Well, maybe not. In Port Richmond, heads of industry have banded together to show they care about their neighborhood’s economy, environment and all-around upkeep.

[caption id=”attachment_521″ align=”alignright” width=”300″ caption=”Neatsfoot Oil Refinery sits on Ontario …