Developers get a lot of milage from building privately owned public spaces—but the public often doesn't. Planners in San Francisco are now requiring buildings to make hidden POPS known, so that the public can actually use them.
Many a development agreement has been sweetened by the inclusion of privately owned public spaces (POPS), which are intended to provide community benefits at developers' expense. POPSs can include plazas, paseos, seating areas, sculpture gardens and the like, all of which are supposed to be accessible to and enjoyed by the public. In San Francisco, one square foot of POPS is required for every 50 square feet of new commercial space.
Years of research indicates, however, that POPS's are rarely used, in part because they are often hidden or, as San Francisco Chronicle architecture critic John King puts it, "cynically discreet." They become dead spaces even as developers reap the benefits.
The city of San Francisco is trying to reverse this trend by requiring landlords to post signs and otherwise make POPS more visible. Planners will also be making sure that the POPS that developers have built actually match up with those that were promised.
“A key element of the city’s downtown plan is that we need publicly accessible spaces that are easy to find and that people can enjoy,” said Scott Sanchez, the City Planning Department’s zoning administrator. “If you don’t know they’re there, you won’t use them.”
Read the full story: S.F. making sure high-rise owners ID hidden public spaces
Tent Encampments: Will the Legal Restraint be Lifted?
A controversial U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in 2018 that has hindered the ability of western cities to clear tent encampments on public spaces will likely be revisited and overturned by the Supreme Court, predicts a popular CNN host.
A Bold Vision for a Car-Free Boston
As other cities take daring steps to reclaim their streets, a car ban in downtown Boston doesn’t seem so implausible.
Making Privately Owned Public Spaces in New York City More Accessible by Mapping Them
A new map shows where privately owned public spaces are located to encourage more public use.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello