PRIVATIZATION

OF PUBLIC SPACES
DISSERTATION
VIII SEM, B.ARCH
SUMANYU VASUDEVA
111110225

AIM

To study how current trends of privatization of public spaces shape

urban neighborhoods and suburban developments and its impacts on
the public realm. Also Its manifestations in social, political and
economic contexts.

OBJECTIVE

The objective is to increase the use and importance of an urban

space by learning the aspects of privatization of public space.

INTRODUCTION

A new way of life is forging with the emergence of what we term as

privatized public space

at the forefront of post-modern city.

WHAT ARE THESE

PRIVATIZED PUBLIC
SPACES ??
In the past few decades there has been an increased practice on creating these
exclusive spaces by either

private sectors

or by

management to

by the government.

profit density bonuses to private

they attempt to meet needs or an urban public space.

On providing
sectors

transfer of rights

profit incentives

or other

A new definition of public space has arisen hence as to who will have a
legitimate claim to share public arena.

PUBLIC SPACE

In urban planning, public space has historically been described as

"open space".

STREETS

PLAZAS
PIAZZAS
PARKS

Today, public space needs to be understood as different from the public domain of the
state and its subdivisions, but rather as a space accessible to the public.

DEVELOPMENT OF HYBRID SPACES

Now common in major cities, privately owned public spaces take many forms,
from corporate courtyards to pocket parks to festival marketplaces. These
differ from traditional public spaces. Instead, privately owned public spaces
are open to the public during certain hours, but owners have the right to
refuse entry to certain users at certain times

PUBLIC PRIVATE

The theme that links these chapters is the attempt to clarify the
meaning of the terms public and private.

In some contexts the terms public and private suggest the

difference between the state and the family, whereas

In others they are synonyms for the state and the market economy.

Political theorists use public to describe the political community that

is distinct from the economy, the household, and the administrative
apparatus of the state.

CONCEPTUAL MODEL

Consequently, I propose a model of publicness rooted in the

above criteria but which also operationalizes these dimensions. In this
model, publicness is assessed on three core components:

ownership, management, and uses/users.

Conceptually, each component represents an axis that

and

interacts with the other two components

intersects

OWNERSHIP
Six legal forms of ownership of public space:

Public ownership, public function, public use (streets),

Public ownership, public function, administrative use (city hall),

Public ownership, public function, private use (space leased to commercial establishments),

Private ownership, public function, public use (airports, gated communities, zoning-bonus
private plazas),

Private ownership, private function, public use (cafes), (6) private ownership, private use
(home).

OWNERSHIP ON THE BASIS OF

OPERATION

One component of publicness involves whether a space is owned by a

government body (public) or a private individual or corporation
(private). Typically, ownership is directly related to operation:

publicly owned spaces are usually publicly operated;

privately owned spaces are normally privately operated.

MANAGEMENT

This dimension refers to the manner in which a space is controlled

and maintained, and specifically refers to the methods by which
owners indicate acceptable uses, users, and behaviors. Management
techniques range from including features that encourage

freedom

of use, access, and behavior (such as making seating

available) to providing elements that discourage use and control
access and behavior, such as the presence of panning surveillance
cameras or armed security guards.

``who

controls a public space?, how they do so?,

and
how they attempt to make the space
safe and secure?'' are important components of this
management and control dimension.

USES AND USERS

This is perhaps the most difficult axis to measure, as it can be

interpreted both quantitatively, by the diversity of uses and users of
the space, and qualitatively, by the behaviors and perceptions of the
users themselves.

``the greater diversity of people and activities

allowed and manifested in a space, the greater its
publicness.''

``social acceptability of a space to different cultural groups is

affected by the cultural composition of a neighborhood.

HOMELESS-FREE ZONES

Homelessness is one of the most dramatic reminders of the interdependence of public and private.

no private space, no dwelling where they can exercise

sovereignty or perform the basic bodily functions that we think of as private : sleeping,
washing, sexual activity, urinating, and defecating.
The homeless are those who have

if city dwellers cannot enjoy a basic minimum of decorum in downtown public spaces, they will
increasingly flee from these locations into cyberspace, suburban malls, and private walled
communities.

Critics who investigate the collective social consequences of privatization make many compelling observations
about contemporary life:

Economic divisions are increasing.

Rich and poor citizens have unequal access to security.

Fear of crime is often out of proportion to actual victimization risk.

Private security systems and services ironically may create fear in order to reduce it.

Privatized public spaces and services have important implications for civic life.

MALLING OF A PUBLIC SPACE

CLIMATE CHANGE
Comparing to the other cities in Europe and US, Hong Kong is the
most hot and humid city. People prefer to stay in indoor area with air
conditioning instead of open areas. Shopping malls provided
comfortable indoor environment which explain one of the reasons
that open public space is not successful in HK comparing to those in
the West.