Public open space

Public Open Space is often referred to by urban planners and landscape architects by the acronym 'POS'. It has a meaning similar to public park, but varied interpretations of the term are possible.

'Public' can mean:

• owned by a national or local government body
• owned by 'public' body (eg 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

'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

See also

• public good
• public space
• environmental good
• landscape planning
• landscape architecture

External links

• Project for Public Space - information on creating and sustaining public places
• CABEspace - a government agency for good public park design in England
• Urban Land Institute - information on the use of land to enhance the environment.