The privatisation of public space: whose space is it really for?

Privately-owned public spaces (POPS) are becoming increasingly prevalent within large cities in the United Kingdom and worldwide. Much of the known privatised spaces developed since industrialisation include shopping centres, amusement parks and office atriums: spaces which encounter human activity in often large open environments. However, what is more recently gaining traction is pseudo-public space: typically, “large squares, parks and thoroughfares that appear to be public but are actually owned and controlled by developers and their private investors”. Often the public have little awareness that they are using private property, and of the increasing influence private companies have towards public space. This essay will understand the reason for such spaces and explore whether the privatisation of public space changes the way it functions, how it is used and controlled. It will particularly question who has access to these spaces. Various debates towards privatisation of public space will be explored; ultimately the essay will attempt to answer whether privatisation poses a risk to the life of urban space and the democracy of such spaces, or if private developers have in fact made their spaces more ‘public’ and inclusive to users. This will be determined through an analysis of a case study of pseudo-public space in the United Kingdom.