In Elijah Anderson’s The Cosmopolitan Canopy, he delves into the diverse city of Philadelphia and observes how people of different ethnicities and backgrounds experience and interact with each other, as well as the city itself. Many areas of the city are segregated, whether it be by socioeconomic status, race, or background. However, within the city, there are many areas of harmony. Elijah Anderson calls these pockets, “cosmopolitan canopies”. A cosmopolitan canopy is viewed as public space in every sense of the word, a place that is free from individual claim and a hub for civility and inclusion. Anderson divulges into several areas of Philadelphia that are considered “cosmopolitan canopies” on his center city walking tour, but on hat tour
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However, on busy days it 's almost hard to move about the space. This was definitely the case the day before thanksgiving. The entire Market was filled wall to walls with patrons. There were tourists, locals or people visiting for the holiday, but they all had one goal in mind: food. The abundance of people made it difficult to navigate and in turn get their food, but no one was deterred. Furthermore, no one was annoyed by the amount of people present. Everyone understood their place and the place that they were in, and were respectful towards both. This stems from the fact that there is an understanding that this place belongs to everyone. No individual sect has claim over Reading Terminal Market, and in that sense makes the Market an ideal example of a cosmopolitan …show more content…
For instance, when I visited Reading Terminal on Wednesday November 23, I witnessed people individuals disrespecting the public space. A group of High School students, about 15 or so, staked claim over a large section of tables. They were no longer eating anything, and saw individuals with food desperately attempting to find a seat within the very limited space designed for eating. When they did leave, they left their trash and spilled drinks all over their tables, making it inhospitable for others. However, myself and other patrons took it upon ourselves to clean up their mess. We felt as though it was our duty to preserve the spaces, since the space belongs to everyone. In the nature of Reading Terminal, despite not everyone adhering to this nature, individuals came together to make the space welcoming to
However, on busy days it 's almost hard to move about the space. This was definitely the case the day before thanksgiving. The entire Market was filled wall to walls with patrons. There were tourists, locals or people visiting for the holiday, but they all had one goal in mind: food. The abundance of people made it difficult to navigate and in turn get their food, but no one was deterred. Furthermore, no one was annoyed by the amount of people present. Everyone understood their place and the place that they were in, and were respectful towards both. This stems from the fact that there is an understanding that this place belongs to everyone. No individual sect has claim over Reading Terminal Market, and in that sense makes the Market an ideal example of a cosmopolitan …show more content…
For instance, when I visited Reading Terminal on Wednesday November 23, I witnessed people individuals disrespecting the public space. A group of High School students, about 15 or so, staked claim over a large section of tables. They were no longer eating anything, and saw individuals with food desperately attempting to find a seat within the very limited space designed for eating. When they did leave, they left their trash and spilled drinks all over their tables, making it inhospitable for others. However, myself and other patrons took it upon ourselves to clean up their mess. We felt as though it was our duty to preserve the spaces, since the space belongs to everyone. In the nature of Reading Terminal, despite not everyone adhering to this nature, individuals came together to make the space welcoming to