Move Back
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This Sept. 22, 2014 photo, shows a building with street art murals in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, abandoned buildings still pock the area, though many now feature vibrant murals painted as part of the arts festival called in Spanish âSanturce es ley,â which translates into English as âSanturce is the law.â (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_9]()
This Sept. 23, 2014 photo, shows an aerial view of the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The area turned to slums in the 1970s as people moved out to suburbs near San Juan. Many who stayed behind were immigrants, mostly from the Dominican Republic and often living in large blocks of public housing dominated by drug gangs amid surging crime in the 1990s. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_10]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, people watch a movie at a makeshift outdoor movie theater in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Outdoor movie nights are held in an empty lot in a spot named Cinema Paradiso created by filmmaker Michelle Malley Campos. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_8]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, an abandoned building sits in front of an upscale building in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The area turned to slums in the 1970s as people moved out to suburbs near San Juan. Longtime residents recall the neighborhoodâs deterioration with bitterness. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_5]()
This Sept. 22, 2014 photo, shows a building with street art murals in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Santurce, new businesses including cafes, vintage boutiques, restuarants and a bookstore are opening. The renaissance also features an arts festival that draws artists and tourists from around the world. abandoned buildings still pock the area, though many now feature vibrant murals painted as part of the arts festival called in Spanish âSanturce es ley,â which translates into English as âSanturce is the law.â (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_7]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, a woman waits for public transportation at a bus stop in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The area turned to slums in the 1970s as people moved out to suburbs near San Juan. Many who stayed behind were immigrants, mostly from the Dominican Republic and often living in large blocks of public housing dominated by drug gangs amid surging crime in the 1990s. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_3]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, a homeless person sleeps on a bench as a man walks by the street in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Today, abandoned buildings still pock the area, though many now feature vibrant murals painted as part of the arts festival called in English âSanturce es ley,â which translates into Spanish as âSanturce is the law.â (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_4]()
In this Sept. 22, 2014 photo, a man walks in front of a building with street art murals painted in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Some people trace Santurce's comeback to the government-led restoration of La Placita, a plaza that features an outdoor produce market surrounded by bars and restaurants, some considered to be among the best in Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_1]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, a couple talks at the entrance of a makeshift outdoor movie theater in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Outdoor movie nights are held in an empty lot in a spot named Cinema Paradiso created by filmmaker Michelle Malley Campos. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_2]()
This Sept. 23, 2014 photo, shows an aerial view of the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The neighborhood is bounded on the north and east by the upscale Atlantic Coast districts of Condado, Ocean Park and Isla Verde, areas familiar to tourists visiting Puerto Rico. To the west lies the largely middle-class area of Miramar and the approach to picturesque Old San Juan, a colonial district of cobblestone streets and the seat of local government. (AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)![Puerto_Rico_Renewal_6]()
In this Sept. 21, 2014 photo, an abandoned building declared public nuisance sits waiting to be demolished in the Santurce neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The area turned to slums in the 1970s as people moved out to suburbs near San Juan. Many who stayed behind were immigrants, mostly from the Dominican Republic and often living in large blocks of public housing dominated by drug gangs amid surging crime in the 1990s.(AP Photo/Ricardo Arduengo)Murals, makeshift movie houses mark revival of neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico
In just a few years, the Santurce neighborhood of San Juan, P.R., has gone from the workplace of prostitutes and drug dealers to a thriving home to small businesses of all stripes, in the process becoming a symbol for hope in hard economic times.
Move Forward
- Murals, makeshift movie houses mark revival of neighborhood in San Juan, Puerto Rico
