Occupy Private Owned Public Spaces?

There has been a great deal of attention given to the Occupy Wall Street protests that are in their second month in New York City. People have been camping out and protesting the lack of jobs, income disparity and the corporate involvement in our political system.

Although the protesters haven't actually been camping on Wall Street, they have been holding steady in Zucotti park, just two blocks away. Although there have been several attempts to move them, so far, they keep coming back. Most recently, they have been evicted from the park, but are working hard at re-establishing their base.

The park has been transformed by the protesters into an organized gathering boasting a kitchen area, media area, information kiosk, library and a general assembly area where people can gather and debate the issues of the day. In fact, all of the services and areas are even mapped out in the handy Occupy Wall Street Journal.

The problem is, not everyone wants them to be there. You see, even though the park is a public space, it's actually owned by Brookfield Properties, and they want the protesters to leave. In a company statement, this is what they had to say about it:

“For more than two months, protesters have been squatting in the park...Brookfield recognizes people’s right to peaceful protest; however, we also have an obligation to ensure that the park remains safe, clean, and accessible to everyone.”

The problem is that the park falls into the category of Privately owned public space. Basically, these parks and public green spaces are provided by developers for public use in exchange for the ability to build larger structures. For example, Brookfield was able to build nine extra floors in exchange for rehabbing the park.

Across the city, there are many of these private public spaces and many of them are under-utilized. Not only that, but many developers actively try to build these spaces in a manner that discourages the public from using them. For example they might sink them below grade or fence them in. Whatever they do, the goal is to make them uninviting and give the impression that they are private spaces.

Many developers have quietly begun to annex these areas, turning them into outdoor lobbies, cafe and bistros. Some even have security guards on site to discourage loitering. But isn't that what parks are for? Green spaces where people can gather, play, read or relax are an important part of what makes a city great.

If there is one thing I hope the Occupy movement achieves, even though it isn't a part of their agenda, is raising awareness of the privately owned public spaces. Culturally, we seem to have moved away from using parks and gathering in public spaces but we need to make an effort to reclaim these spaces.

What do you think about the idea of privately owned public spaces? Have you seen instances of developers making their spaces less attractive to the public? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for ManhattanJobsBlog and Nexxt. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.