Celebrating Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) in LA

At a time when access to open space is so vital to our physical and mental health and wellbeing, Los Angeles is leading by example, exploring new ways to create a vibrant network of urban spaces in Downtown and communities across the City. Read on to learn about the City’s efforts to cultivate active gathering spaces for personal enjoyment and social interaction and ensure that they remain open and inviting to all, for many years to come.

Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) are publicly accessible open spaces maintained and managed by property owners. While research is ongoing, to date, the Urban Design Studio has identified 93 POPS across the city! This interactive StoryMap provides an overview of POPS within Los Angeles and includes information on location, hours of operation, and amenities to ensure that the public can easily find and enjoy them. Courtyards, plazas, paseos, and parks are popular POPS, as they are pockets of open space that provide individuals the opportunity to partake in a series of given amenities.

Implemented in Los Angeles beginning in the 1960s, privately owned public spaces have been developed, regulated, and retained for the benefit of the community. Through development agreements, incentives, and development impact fees between the public and private sector, POPS have taken off in major cities across the US, and the City of Los Angeles is no exception.

The CRA/LA incentivized private development in designated Redevelopment Areas in several ways, and through their discretionary process, several notable POPS were secured in Downtown Los Angeles, such as the Cultural Facility at Bunker Hill's California Plaza.

Though not technically defined as open space, public art installations overseen by the Department of Cultural Affairs similarly create opportunities for public gathering. While the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA) was the first public organization responsible for many of the public art works within the city, this has evolved through the years into The Department of Cultural Affairs Public Art Policy program. This program requires property owners to pay up to 1% of the building's project cost to the Arts Development Trust Fund, which has been successful in creating such spaces. Approved by the Department of Sanitation, green alleys and streets are stormwater management solutions that incorporate sustainability aspects like permeable pavement, greenery, and soil to reactivate the space. Additionally, the updated Quimby  requirements  from the Department of Recreation and Parks require most residential projects that create new dwelling units or joint living and work quarters to dedicate land or to pay a fee for the purpose of developing park and recreational facilities. Some property owners choosing to off-set Quimby fees have the option of providing open space on-site that is accessible to the public, provided this open space goes above and beyond the requirements of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. As it mutually benefits both parties, the number of POPS provided by private property owners has significantly increased through the years.

POPS are typically created as part of a development project, agreed upon by and among the city and developer. Zoning tools such as development agreements, conditions of approval, and covenants are the means by which the city ensures that these spaces are maintained and remain open for the enjoyment of the general public. With the adoption of the new Zoning Code for the Downtown LA Community Plan area, the City of Los Angeles will for the first time require POPS wayfinding signage, to raise public awareness of these specific sites and their valuable amenities. Incorporated in the new zoning for Downtown Los Angeles, the design of public amenity space is outlined in Chapter 1A, Section 2C.3.3.C.3. (Public Amenity Space) of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. In addition to the design standards, signs must display hours of operation, provide mandatory public access, and be posted at every public entrance to the space, in accordance with the Public Amenity Space Sign Standards and Div. 4C.11 (Signs).

Interested in learning how we can encourage the creation of more POPS in the future, particularly where access to open space is scarce? Are you a developer or property owner that has an open space you'd like to highlight? To download a template of the City's new POPS wayfinding signage, property owners are encouraged to visit the Urban Design Studio's POPS page as additional details on placement and layout can be found there. Property owners seeking to participate in future events or learn about future updates are invited to contact the  Urban Design Studio . Everyone is invited to learn about how to get involved in  Community Plan updates  where POPS may be expanded!

Academic Research on Los Angeles POPS

•  Privatisation of Public Open Space: The Los Angeles Experience - The Town Planning Review 
•  Spatial Injustice in Los Angeles: An Evaluation of Downtown LA’s Privately Owned Public Open Space 

To learn more about the Healthy Buildings, Healthy Places initiative, check out:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fd221bd31cc14048b41e0a5d3362da68