PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neighbors in the Nicetown-Tioga section of Philadelphia participated in area cleanups this weekend. Their efforts weren't just for show, but for the environment as well.
"We are putting the nice back in the town," said Rowan Walkway block captain Patricia Jamison. "It's a good feeling for you, when you come outside of your door look and see that everything is refreshed."
Residents partnered with the the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society this weekend for their "Love Where You Live Cleaning and Greening Day." Jamison was happy that the event gave people something to do together to meet one another.
"The neighbors come out and socialize with each other and just bring pride to the community," she said.
Sally McCabe, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's associate director of community education, said this is a unique block in the city in that the plant beds down the middle make it inaccessible to cars.
"They closed this off in 1971 because there had been some murders on the block. There was some really heart-wrenching crime and they said 'No, we can't have this anymore' and they closed it off. It was absolutely revolutionary at the time," explained McCabe.
"As far as I know, the only garden blocks like this are Madison Square down in South Philly and St. Albans Street," she added.
McCabe and other volunteers brought some new plants to the neighborhood, which she said improve an area's quality of life, in part by making it cooler with their shade.
"It also it has an impact on how much water is going down into the sewers, because the gardens themselves are soaking up the water rather than having it run down the sidewalk and down into the sewers," she detailed.
"The fun part is that these flowers are recycled from the Philadelphia Flower Show."