# Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) are spaces legally owned by private entities but intended to serve public purposes through access, conservation, or community use. Ownership remains private, but these spaces contribute to broader social, cultural, or environmental objectives under varying regulatory conditions. POPS differ from [[Privately Managed Public Spaces (PMPS)]], where ownership remains public but operational management is delegated to private organizations. --- ## Main Forms ### Zoning Incentive-Based POPS Developers create publicly accessible plazas, atriums, walkways, or gardens in exchange for urban planning benefits, such as increased building rights. #### [New York City POPS Program](https://www.nyc.gov/content/planning/pages/our-work/plans/citywide/privately-owned-public-spaces) (USA) Since 1961, New York City's zoning incentive program has allowed developers to build larger buildings if they include publicly accessible spaces. These spaces remain under private ownership but must comply with access and use requirements defined in public agreements. Over 500 POPS exist across New York today, with varied levels of quality and openness. ### Private Conservation Easements and Real Rights Private landowners impose permanent or long-term conservation obligations on their properties to preserve ecological, scenic, or cultural values. These obligations are usually formalized through legally binding instruments and registered with property titles. #### Derecho Real de Conservación (Chile) Established by Law No. 20.930 (2016), the DRC allows Chilean landowners to create permanent conservation restrictions enforceable against future owners. Organizations such as [Fundación Tierra Austral](https://www.fundaciontierraaustral.cl/) act as guardians of these rights. #### [Conservation Easements](https://www.conservationeasement.us/what-is-a-conservation-easement/) (USA) In the United States, land trusts often use conservation easements to secure public or ecological benefits on privately owned lands while leaving ownership in private hands. ### Indigenous and Ethnic Land Trusts Collective trusts established to hold and manage land for the benefit of indigenous peoples or ethnic communities. These trusts blend private ownership structures with culturally specific governance. #### [Ingonyama Trust](https://www.ingonyamatrust.org.za/) (South Africa) Established in 1994, the Ingonyama Trust holds approximately 30% of KwaZulu-Natal’s land in trust for the Zulu Nation, combining private trust law with public oversight mechanisms linked to the Zulu King and South Africa’s Department of Rural Development and Land Reform. ### Privately Owned Urban Districts Large-scale developments where streets, parks, and public-facing spaces are privately owned but accessible to the public under private management and regulations. #### Hudson Yards (New York, USA) Hudson Yards is a privately developed district in Manhattan that includes public spaces managed by private entities. Although plazas and walkways are publicly accessible, they are privately owned and operated by the developers, with their own security, maintenance, and regulations. The management focuses on maintaining high-end public spaces integrated with the surrounding commercial and residential developments. Access is generally open, but activities within the space are governed by private rules. #### Canary Wharf (London, UK) Canary Wharf is a major business district in London, developed through a combination of early public investment in infrastructure and extensive private real estate development. The project initially benefited from public support through the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC), which provided transport links and basic urban infrastructure during the 1980s. However, the commercial development of the district (including its skyscrapers, shopping malls, and public spaces) has been driven almost entirely by private capital. Today, Canary Wharf is managed by the _[Canary Wharf Group](https://group.canarywharf.com/)_, a fully private company. The group not only manages its portfolio of commercial and residential properties but also oversees a large network of publicly accessible spaces such as parks, squares, promenades and even some internal streets. These spaces open to general public access, but they are subject to the private rules set by the Canary Wharf Group. This includes regulations on behavior, restrictions on demonstrations, photography, or commercial activities without permission, and security surveillance carried out by private security teams. While the area functions like a typical urban neighborhood from a user’s perspective, its management structure differs from a traditional public space overseen by municipal authorities. Unlike a classic Business Improvement District (BID), where funding is collected through a tax levy on local property owners and services are managed collectively, Canary Wharf’s maintenance and public realm management are funded directly through the Group’s real estate revenues (mainly rents and property sales).