Privately Owned Public Places - the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly!

Abstract

Privately Owned Public Spaces A group of University of Central Oklahoma students, faculty teamed with colleagues from Coventry University, in the United Kingdom, to research what is called Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). Urban theorists such as Lewis Mumford (1938), Jane Jacobs (1969), and Doreen Massey (1995) have all written about the importance of the public realm in defining cities and community culture. In these seminal texts, the authors suggest that cities make the biggest impact on community and culture in the public sector rather than private sphere. There is no doubt the public sphere is important, however there is another option available to municipalities as they navigate today’s budget issues in building critical public infrastructure. Maintaining and securing open-air squares, gardens, and parks has become a burden for many cities. The option available to communities is the Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). While the transfer of these government assets to private ownership is not without risk and controversy, it may be the only way forward to sustain the operations and maintain stewardship of these beautiful natural assets.