public space in the private realm
“Public Spaces are gathering spots for part of a neighborhood, downtown, special district, waterfront or other area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community.”
This project looks at the existing POPS in the upper west side and explore the potentials of good spaces within the frame of public and private.
Public spaces are essential to a high quality of life in dense urban spaces—they serve as links and buffers for communities, and reduce the overwhelming feeling of density in urban areas. Within a dense environment, the human being feels the need to “escape” from their surroundings to relax and recharge. As a result, the uses of public space have evolved over time. People use public spaces to eat, socialize, read, and relax—among many other things. They also look to public spaces as places for entertainment, where the areas serve as avenues for expression, whether for artistic or political reasons.
Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) is a special category among all the public spaces in New York City. It functions as a public space but the POPS carry the dynamics between public and private in them.
This project aim to provide design guidelines for existing POPS and also future new POPS. The guidelines contributes to the establishment of a collective identity for the POPS to inform their existence as most of them are still unknown to people.
It also creates a category of spaces for different activities using one modular system so it’s easier to construct and adopt. The guideline, may also serve as the requirement for new POPS design. In order to be approved by the city for FAR bonus, developers has to follow the design guidelines.