Explore Eastern North

Explore Eastern North (Philadelphia) is the culmination of three years of student work with the community partner, Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha (APM), which provides services to the residents in the neighborhood east of Temple’s main campus. The work was completed by students in the Community Development Workshop during the spring of 2021. During the mid-1900s, Eastern North Philadelphia was a thriving manufacturing hub that attracted a large population of Puerto Rican immigrants; however, the neighborhood experienced years of disinvestment and decline that adversely impacted its hardworking residents. More recently, the neighborhood has been experiencing a come-back, but a come-back for who one could ask - as new development brings wealthier residents and amenities beyond the means of long-term residents.  To address long-term residents’ concerns and feelings of being overwhelmed by development that doesn’t address their needs and newcomers who don’t appreciate the area’s history and culture, APM partnered with Dr. Lynn Mandarano, to develop resources and programs that would create a common ground for new and current residents and an opportunity to learn from each other about the neighborhood’s vibrant history and cultural resources. 

Explore Eastern North, created by Community Development Workshop students in 2021, is comprised of three historic walking tours along the main streets in the greater neighborhood including Germantown and Lehigh Avenues and North 5th Street.  The North 5th Street tour built on the work of project partners LISC Philadelphia and La Cieba, which were organizing resident led walking tours of businesses along North 5th Street. To develop these tours, students performed archival research at the Special Collections Research Center at the Charles Library, conducted interviews and storytelling, photographed sites, and created posters, maps, brochures, audio and video materials, and a website. They also designed scavenger hunts and an activity book for youth-based engagement on the tours.  In addition to viewing the gallery of student work, you are invited to visit the website here, and to go out in the neighborhood to Explore Eastern North.

On behalf of the Community Development Workshops students and our community partners, I hope you enjoy exploring and learning about the historic buildings and businesses that once served a very vibrant neighborhood. While many of these buildings have been demolished or have been repurposed, there still is a strong sense community identity and pride shared by its residents.