Urban oasis
Philadelphia built the first outdoor city pool in 1884, and it served as a blueprint that other cities soon adopted. Today, public pools in Philly continue to be pockets of relief, even a lifeline, for many city residents who connect shuttered pools to the city’s gun crisis, an epidemic that tends to spike along with the temperature. This photo series explores how each city pool reflects the unique character of its neighborhood, and the value it holds to residents.
Diane Scott hugs Stephanie Mackey and Mylayiah Mackey, 9, outside of Athletic Pool in the Brewerytown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Scott lost her grandson to gun violence on the street just outside of the pool entrance.
A memorial for Ahmad Abrams, 18, sits at the base of a tree in the Brewerytown neighborhood of Philadelphia. Abrams was shot and killed on June 18, just nine days before the city pool opened where his grandmother, Diane Scott, works.
