In the 1960s, when Philadelphia residents talked about Northern Liberties, a neighborhood in the lower northeast corner of the city, the conversation centered around labor laws, unions, and production lines.
The neighborhood, once known as the “Workplace of the World” was the home to a multitude of factories, mills, tanneries and distilleries. The industrial trend continued here until the late 1970s when a number of failed urban planning efforts and economic shifts left the area’s factories shuttered and the community blighted.
However, the community is changing again.
Today, when Philadelphia residents talk about Northern Liberties, their conversations are centered on which area restaurant has the highest Zagat rating, which painting a local artist will feature, or which microbrew tasting event to attend.
As a result of the changing economic base and evolving cultural composition of the area, Northern Liberties is a true urban dichotomy; a neighborhood that boasts of being a desirable location for entrepreneurs and start-ups, yet has elementary schools with some of the lowest test scores in the city.
It is nearly impossible to escape the sounds of construction projects and residential development throughout the neighborhood, and rising housing prices are a stark reflection of this. Rent prices have risen as high as 10% over the past 3 years, and while that is a sign of a strengthening economy; many residents do not have access to improved housing.
As young professionals, artists and restaurateurs move into the area, the longtime residents and former laborers are often trapped in the pockets of underdevelopment that remain.