Public open space
Classification of space in the environment
title: "Public open space" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["landscape", "public-sphere"] description: "Classification of space in the environment" topic_path: "general/landscape" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_open_space" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Classification of space in the environment ::
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Intercontinental_sf_popo_sign.jpg" caption="Public Open Space sign in [[San Francisco]] (a terrace of a hotel, a [[privately owned public space]])"] ::
Public open space is often referred to by urban planners and landscape architects by the acronym 'POS'. Varied interpretations of the term are possible.
'Public' can mean:
- owned by a national or local government body
- owned by 'public' body (e.g. a not-for-profit organization) and held in trust for the public
- owned by a private individual or organization but made available for public use or available public access, see privately owned public space (POPS)
'Open' can mean:
- open for public access
- open for public recreation
- outdoors, i.e. not a space within a building
- vegetated
Depending on which of these definitions are adopted, any of the following could be called Public Open Space:
- a public park
- a town square
- a greenway which is open to the public but runs through farmland or a forest
- a public highway
- a private road with public access
References
References
- US EPA, REG 03. (2015-08-10). "Green Streets and Community Open Space".
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