North Philadelphia
A Philadelphia neighborhood he first knew in his youth, photographed between 2008 and 2013 after a decade in China.

North Philadelphia is a photographic portrait of a neighborhood in prolonged crisis. The book presents a glimpse into an urban area that hovers between decay and possibility, and is emblematic of many such regions across the United States.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Daniel Traub came to know this section of the city as a youth while working on an urban renewal art project. Many years later, after spending a decade in China photographing communities at the margins of Chinese society, he returned to North Philadelphia to explore the economic and racial divide in his own country.
Made between 2008 and 2013, North Philadelphia combines images of dilapidated homes, vacant lots, and street corners with portraits of the residents. While it is an unvarnished view of a neglected corner of America, it is also a book imbued with beauty and moments of revelation.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Daniel Traub came to know this section of the city as a youth while working on an urban renewal art project. Many years later, after spending a decade in China photographing communities at the margins of Chinese society, he returned to North Philadelphia to explore the economic and racial divide in his own country.
Made between 2008 and 2013, North Philadelphia combines images of dilapidated homes, vacant lots, and street corners with portraits of the residents. While it is an unvarnished view of a neglected corner of America, it is also a book imbued with beauty and moments of revelation.
SeriesNorth Philadelphia
Photographs and essayDaniel Traub
DesignMasumi Shibata
PublisherKehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, 2014
FormatHardcover, 120 pages, 52 colour plates, 24 × 30 cm
ISBN978-3-86828-478-2
RecognitionSelected title, German Photo Book Award 2015
Selected press
“North Philadelphia,” Life Force Magazine, January 2016.
Jason Hanna, “Faces, Places in North Philadelphia,” CNN, February 12, 2015.
Alexis Stephens, “Photographer Turns His Lens to Faces, Spaces of North Philadelphia,” Next City, October 1, 2014.
Adam Bell, “North Philadelphia,” photo-eye, November 17, 2014.
Ellyn Kail, “Striking Photos of Abandoned Philadelphia Lots Overtaken by the Wild,” Feature Shoot, August 1, 2014.
Platform Green, “North Philadelphia Revisited,” 2014.
Jason Hanna, “Faces, Places in North Philadelphia,” CNN, February 12, 2015.
Alexis Stephens, “Photographer Turns His Lens to Faces, Spaces of North Philadelphia,” Next City, October 1, 2014.
Adam Bell, “North Philadelphia,” photo-eye, November 17, 2014.
Ellyn Kail, “Striking Photos of Abandoned Philadelphia Lots Overtaken by the Wild,” Feature Shoot, August 1, 2014.
Platform Green, “North Philadelphia Revisited,” 2014.