GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL: THE NEXT 100 Last week, the Municipal Art Society (MAS) hosted its third annual Summit for New...

Urban planner Douglas Woodward analyzes the rules posted in privately owned public spaces to investigate some of the challenges involved in the private provision of public goods.

HOLLY WHYTE WAY Since the 1980s, Midtowners in the know have avoided crowds and expedited trips between 57th and 51st...

The occupation of Zuccotti Park unintentionally brought attention to the nebulous rules that govern New York City's privately-owned public spaces (POPS). In 1961, the city was changing. Advances in building technology meant office towers could be built higher than ever before, and developers had an interest in making use of this additional square footage. A revision of the zoning laws offered a trade: in return for creating public open spaces — perhaps most importantly, for the Occupy Wall Street movement, spaces “accessible to the public at all times,” unlike city parks...

ZUCCOTTI POPS Jerold S. Kayden has written two opinion pieces about the spatial and legal ramifications of Occupy Wall Street’s...

In advance of our field trip to one of NYC’s privately-owned public spaces, we talk to Raquel Ramati about plaza bonuses, street life and the legacy of DCP’s Urban Design Group.