From Metropolitan POPS to Medium City Social Spaces: Adapting Public-Private Collaboration for Urban Development

Abstract

Privately owned public spaces (POPS) have emerged as an incentive-based tool for creating and managing public spaces in high-density cities through private developments, facing both criticism regarding their inclusivity and recent adaptations in European cities. This paper examines the translation of public-private collaboration principles for space development and management to medium-sized cities, where traditional density-based incentives and agreements are not applicable. Unlike metropolitan areas where POPS emerged from high land values, shortage of public land for new public spaces, and established regulatory systems, medium-sized cities present a fundamentally different context: higher availability of undeveloped land at lower market values but limited resources. This contextual shift requires a systematic transformation of public-private collaboration approaches in the provision and management of public spaces and amenities, particularly in ensuring these spaces remain truly public, accessible, and inclusive for all user groups despite private involvement. Through a comparative analysis of public-private collaboration models, this study evaluates the current practices in the Netherlands and their adaptation potential for medium-sized cities, focusing specifically on mechanisms ensuring public accessibility and social inclusion. The paper advances public space governance discourse by examining implementation phases from planning to management and analysing varying scales of private involvement from temporary to permanent arrangements, maintaining public access and social equity. It develops conceptual frameworks for governance model based on different POPSs governance models that align with medium-sized cities' governance capacities while prioritizing inclusive design and management practices. We identify valuable lessons from Dutch experiences that can inform similar practices in other contexts. This research contributes to urban planning and governance in several ways; it proposes context-sensitive approaches that balance public benefit with private interests in private developments. Second, it provides strategies to ensure the creation of inclusive and accessible social spaces that serve diverse community needs in medium-sized urban developments.