Clarendon Heights in 2012

As a Somerville resident, I knew I had passed Clarendon Towers,
the "projects" that are the setting of the book Ain't No Makin' It 

The picture that Ain't No Makin' It paints of the Clarendon Towers is one of destitution.
Surprisingly, while of couse not "posh", the Towers don't look that bad to me,
at least not on a spring day in 2012, 28 years after the book was published.

Neaby are the Clarendon Hill Apartments...

...a pretty standard-looking government-subsidized housing complex.
Again, not luxurious, but not scary either.  I wonder how much has changed in 28 years.

An empty basketball court in the Clarendon Hill Apartment Complex.  Why is nobody playing on this  beautiful spring vacation afternoon?  Basketball was a central social activity for the Brothers, and the Hallway Hangers prided themselves on their close-knit community.  The nature of social interactions has changed in many ways in many parts of society.  Maybe modern-day Clarendon Heights is completely different.  Maybe people are so isolated they don't congregate at all.