Norris Square
"We want our youth to be proud of who
they are and of where they come from."—Iris Brown, Norris
Square Neighborhood Project
The Norris Square neighborhood in lower North
Philadelphia is filled with vibrant gardens and open spaces that
reflect its largely Latino population. These green treasures of
today reflect how far the community has come since its decline a
few decades ago, when factory closings deprived it of jobs and income,
and thousands of homeowners relocated, leaving behind an area scarred
by vacant buildings.
In the late 1980s, the Pennsylvania Horticultural
Society's Philadelphia Green program began a collaboration with
the Norris Square Neighborhood Project, a local non-profit with
a focus on children and environmental education. This relationship
proved to be a catalyst in battling the neighborhood's blight and
overwhelming drug problem. Philadelphia Green worked with the Neighborhood
Project and residents to create thriving community gardens, small
sitting parks, new street-tree plantings, and blocks lined with
colorful windowboxes and container plantings—a total of more
than 70 projects. "We used neighborhood greening as a way to
build people's confidence, increase community cohesion, and give
people hope," says Philadelphia Green's Eileen Gallagher.
By getting involved in the gardens, Norris Square
residents began to take back their community—physically, socially,
and spiritually. And the "heart of the community", Norris
Square Park, was transformed through renovations like the removal
of dead and dying trees, a new pergola area that’s used by
the nearby senior citizens center, a new playground, and remade
entryways that feature the mosaic tile work of local kids. "People
now want to live around the park," says Sister Carol Keck of
the Norris Square Neighborhood Project. "And those already
living in the community have invested in improving their homes—another
sign of the neighborhood’s encouraging developments."
At Las Parcelas community garden, filled with
vibrant vegetable plots, flowerbeds, and an outdoor kitchen, neighbors
built the colorful La Casita ("the little house")
to represent life in Puerto Rico in the early 20th century. The
neighborhood's Puerto Rican residents also celebrate their diverse
heritage through colorful murals and art objects in the gardens
that portray images of Puerto Rican life and culture, like the indigenous
Taino Indians and island folklore.
The Norris Square Neighborhood Project uses the
gardens as educational tools, teaching children about their raices,
or roots, and the importance of working in service to the community.
As Iris Brown notes, "We want our youth to be proud of who
they are and of where they come from." |
