North Philadelphia, Philadelphia

The past few posts have been about graffiti in neighborhoods that are doing relatively well. Many of them used to be impoverished or dangerous, but now they are safe neighborhoods with a lot to offer, including graffiti.

However, graffiti is still actively present in neighborhoods that are not doing well. North Philadelphia is one of these neighborhoods. It's been described as a war zone. Gangs are active in the area, which is one of the main reasons it is covered in graffiti. As the Amtrak train runs through the area on its way to stopping in Downtown Philadelphia, there are mile long strips that are overwhelmed by tags.

It's hard to tell if the graffiti in North Philadelphia has any influence over the area. People riding through on the train can tell it is not a nice place, but not just from the graffiti - from the shootings, from the abandoned houses, from the decrepit roads. On the other hand, the graffiti might not be there if the gangs were not overwhelming the area.

Graffiti in North Philadelphia is an example of how many people still think of graffiti - as a symptom of the failure of a city. It's hard to tell if graffiti has had any role in making North Philadelphia what it is today. But ultimately, when people look at North Philadelphia, what they see is graffiti - and what they see is not good.