Jack Zhou

Jack Zhou

The photograph and map together show the socioeconomic divide in Jeffries Point neighborhood located in East Boston. The map illustrates that houses closer to the Boston Inner Harbor are more expensive than those near Maverick T Station. Thus, residents living near the harbor are of a higher social class than those inhabiting apartments closer to Maverick Square. The photographs present a visual indicator of this socioeconomic discrepancy in the form of flower pot decorations outside of people’s homes. The left photograph was taken in the part of the neighborhood closer to Maverick Square at the interesection of Sumner Street and Cottage Street. In the picture, none of the stretch of houses have flower pots outside their homes. The sidewalks also appear somewhat dirty, and there is some litter on the ground. The right photograph was taken near the intersection of Sumner Street and Jeffries Street in the portion of the neighborhood closer to Boston Inner Harbor. In the picture, there are more flower pots outside the homes of residents, and the streets appear cleaner and there are more street trees. Thus, looking at decorations can elucidate the socioeconomic boundaries of a neighborhood.