Biblical dust plagues — and my neighborhood’s penchant for the dramatic — aside, the streets actually are getting cleaner in South Philly and across the city. Yes, the dust occasionally inspires near-apocalyptic panic — not to mention rightful fears about what it is we’re blasting into the air, and our lungs. (The street cleaners do stop when they see people coming.) But seeing the ocean of trash get swept away gives you a true perspective on how dirty we’ve let our neighborhoods become.