Community Meeting Held In South Philadelphia

By Kristen Johanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A year-long project is underway in South Philadelphia, transforming some of the forgotten South Philadelphia neighborhoods into a thriving corridor. Friday there was a meeting with leaders in that area, and neighbors hoping to help build the diverse community.

Cohabitation Stragedies engages the diverse residents in South Philly about how to hurtle some of the obstacles they face as a neighborhood -- things like trash, racial tensions and abandoned properties.

Thoai Nguyen is a community leader, helping to serve the needs of different ethnic groups in the area.

"Having a unity a a people, regardless of race, regardless of national origin, ethnicity, social economic classes -- we really need to stand together if we are going to effect really good and necessary changes."

The initiative was developed by the Mural Arts Program, called Playground for Useful Knowledge and is working to unify and revitalize the corridor in spite of all of their differences.

And Nguyen says if this works:

"South Philadelphia will become a food destination, a cultural destination."