Stop by Charles Library to view Explore Eastern North Philadelphia: Students and Community Engagement. This new exhibit is the culmination of three years of student work with the community partner Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM), which provides services to the residents in the neighborhood east of Temple’s main campus. Students completed the project in their Community Development Workshop, the capstone course for the Community Development major. 

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, associate professor of Planning and Community Development, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, 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.