John King authors an article examining the types of privately owned public spaces that have been created in San Francisco under the city's 1985 downtown plan and sees room for improvement.
King finds the public spaces created in such recent downtown projects as One Kearney to be commendable additions to the city's supply of open space; when the public can actually locate and gain access to them.
As the affects of the program's guidelines (requiring 1 square foot of public space per 50 square feet of office space or hotels) grows along with the downtown development market, King finds that, "Simple remedies to the current rules would increase awareness of good spaces and focus resources more effectively."
According to King, "There are other challenges to tackle before San Francisco's semipublic spaces reach their full potential. But the first challenge is simply for people to know they exist. Once a constituency exists, issues like maintenance and openness will fall into line."
Read the full story: Privately owned public spaces: Guidance needed
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