POPS
Privately Owned Publicly-Accessible Space

When developers negotiate with the municipalities for approvals for new construction, the city demands that community benefits be provided. One of these benefits is the provision of spaces that are open to the public but owned and maintained by a private entity.

Since 2000, over one million square feet of these spaces were added in Toronto, though many people are either unaware that they are accessible to the public or that they are privately owned.

Signage
Clear signage of these spaces—something that has been required in New York City and San Francisco—should remove confusion as to whether POPS are usable for everyone.

On 01 August 2014, the first plaque identifying a POPS was unveiled on a
August 1, 2014 for a pedestrian walkway on Iceboat Terrace that features restaurant patios, gardens, benches, lighting and a public art piece.

POPS maps

The city has posted an excellent interactive map of all the POPS sites in the City of Toronto. You can zoom into the downtown areas and see a photo and read a description of all existing and planned POPS in the city.

This POPS pop-up shows the courtyard that is owned and maintained by the condominium corporation at 1 Bedford Road, right across from the St. George subway station. It states that it is open and accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

POPS Guidelines
The purpose of the Guidelines, that were completed in June 2014, is to provide design direction to the development community, including architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners and developers, and to facilitate discussions between City Staff, local residents and the development community in the location and design of new publicly-accessible spaces and the revitalization of existing POPS.

Warning
The city's website cautions people that: "Access to some POPS locations may be refused in certain circumstances." So although the public generally has access to these "amenities" they still are privately owned and maintained properties.

Who pays for this?
If it is a condominium, the owners of the condo units paid to build it and they pay for the ongoing upkeep, maintenance and renovations. (I bet most of them don't know this.)

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