Cyber 'Hoods

by Amy L. Webb

Need a shoe repairman? Crave a good Japanese meal? Want to know key demographic information about your neighbors -- all without leaving the comfort of your own living room?

Check out www.northern-living.com, the newest addition to Philadelphia's myriad websites devoted to the city's countless neighborhoods. But this site is the first for the Fishtown/Northern Liberties/Kensington area, and it includes a searchable restaurant guide, arts and culture links, real estate listings, demographic information, maps and a history of the city's northern river wards.

"We wanted to create an online community where people could connect with events, local groups and each other," says site designer Andrew Childs, who heads the Philadelphia-based design company Glomerate.com. "We envisioned a mini-Citysearch site so that people would know what was happening in their own neighborhood."

So far, the site has been receiving about 100 hits per month. That kind of traffic may not break any records, "but we are new, and the word is just now getting out," Childs says.

The idea originated with Fishtown-based realtor Bob Murphy, who has been working with local artists to enliven the neighborhood.

"There are so many talented people living here," Murphy says. "It's a very strong community with a lot of up-and-coming photographers, writers and artists. I wanted there to be a central place where people could get information about the area, listings for upcoming events, links to artists' Web pages and restaurant links. The website is an unobtrusive way for people to get together."

Neighborhood websites have become more widespread with the proliferation of the Internet and high-speed access services. The Old City Arts Association and Old City Civic Association host a similar website -- www.oldcity.org/ index.html -- with information on local events and city agencies.

Sites for Chestnut Hill and Center City -- www.membrane.com/chestnuthill and www.centercityphila.org, respectively -- are also popular.

"I think that more and more people are going to use interactive websites in the way they used to hold public forums," Childs says. "Neighborhood sites are sort of a yellow pages, meeting room and advice column wrapped up in one place."