Privately owned public spaces (POPS) in New York City were introduced in the 1961 Zoning Resolution. The city offers zoning concessions to commercial and residential developers in exchange for a variety of spaces accessible and usable for the public. There are over 590 POPS at over 380 buildings[1][2] in New York City and are found principally in Manhattan. Spaces range from extended sidewalks to indoor atriums with seating and amenities. International attention was brought to POPS during the Occupy Wall Street movement begun in 2011 in Zuccotti Park.[3]
POPS are required to contain a certain number of amenities and be open to the public. However, as of 2023[update], about 20 percent of POPs violated the terms of their agreements with the city, often because the POPS was closed, was occupied by a private business, or did not contain required amenities.[2]
List of noteworthy spaces.[4][5]
In addition, the following POPS are on 6½ Avenue between 51st and 57th Street:
Downtown
Long Island City