Comments on: San Francisco's "public" privately owned spaces are hidden away and that needs to change http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Tue, 21 May 2013 16:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: ceppm http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352918 ceppm Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352918 The always excellent 99 percent invisible by Roman Mars did a programme on these some time ago. Recommended: http://99percentinvisible.org/post/1486271078/episode-09-99-private-download-embed-share The always excellent 99 percent invisible by Roman Mars did a programme on these some time ago. Recommended:

http://99percentinvisible.org/post/1486271078/episode-09-99-private-download-embed-share

]]> By: redstarr http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352725 redstarr Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352725 The idea of being able to pay a fee to circumvent the signs is ridiculous unless the fee goes specifically into a fund that creates and maintains an equal or better public area in that same neighborhood.   I could see having a fee go into building a nice block park or playground further down the street being of better use to the public than just a mandatory space inside that property and under the control of its owners.  It would help make things nicer for property owners,too, that are really sensitive to having the public there.  If I ran a luxury hotel, I'm not sure I'd want to have to allow every single person on the street to hang out there.  I can see wanting it to be guests only.   Sure, ideally, the public spaces are just full of awesome people having a quiet cup of coffee or families having a picnic and picking up after themselves and minding their own business.  But that's not necessarily how it ends up when the entire public is entitled to be there.  You don't just get the office folks getting some fresh air on their lunch break.  You get bums.  You don't just get kids throwing a frisbee.  You get criminals eyeballing the hotel guests to pick victims.  You get litter and vomit and protesters and prostitutes and vandals and people that you have little control over suing for accidents.  I can see that not being for every property owner.  So you get the ones that you have to sign in with a guard and play while supervised and scrutinized and the ones that are technically public but you have to obtain permission to use it. Plus, a lot of the public would feel freer to enjoy themselves and more welcome in a more fully public place.  I don't mind strolling around in a public park in shorts and a tank top, no make up, hair in a pony tail.  I'm getting a good walk in.  And other folks there are,too.  It feels normal.  But I'd feel out of place walking through the lobby of a fancy hotel or business office or taking the elevator with guys in suits and ladies in heels, me carrying a picnic basket and a trashy paperback headed to relax while they're carrying briefcases and talking serious stressful business.  And the public spaces being planned and run by someone who was genuinely interested in public space would probably end up a lot nicer and more relevant to what the neighborhood needs and wants than just leaving it up to the property owner who's not interested at all in that, just having to do it to satisfy the requirement to be allowed to build.  Putting people with a different priority entirely in charge of providing a public amenity is seldom for the best.  The idea of being able to pay a fee to circumvent the signs is ridiculous unless the fee goes specifically into a fund that creates and maintains an equal or better public area in that same neighborhood.   I could see having a fee go into building a nice block park or playground further down the street being of better use to the public than just a mandatory space inside that property and under the control of its owners. 

It would help make things nicer for property owners,too, that are really sensitive to having the public there.  If I ran a luxury hotel, I’m not sure I’d want to have to allow every single person on the street to hang out there.  I can see wanting it to be guests only.   Sure, ideally, the public spaces are just full of awesome people having a quiet cup of coffee or families having a picnic and picking up after themselves and minding their own business.  But that’s not necessarily how it ends up when the entire public is entitled to be there.  You don’t just get the office folks getting some fresh air on their lunch break.  You get bums.  You don’t just get kids throwing a frisbee.  You get criminals eyeballing the hotel guests to pick victims.  You get litter and vomit and protesters and prostitutes and vandals and people that you have little control over suing for accidents.  I can see that not being for every property owner.  So you get the ones that you have to sign in with a guard and play while supervised and scrutinized and the ones that are technically public but you have to obtain permission to use it.

Plus, a lot of the public would feel freer to enjoy themselves and more welcome in a more fully public place.  I don’t mind strolling around in a public park in shorts and a tank top, no make up, hair in a pony tail.  I’m getting a good walk in.  And other folks there are,too.  It feels normal.  But I’d feel out of place walking through the lobby of a fancy hotel or business office or taking the elevator with guys in suits and ladies in heels, me carrying a picnic basket and a trashy paperback headed to relax while they’re carrying briefcases and talking serious stressful business. 

And the public spaces being planned and run by someone who was genuinely interested in public space would probably end up a lot nicer and more relevant to what the neighborhood needs and wants than just leaving it up to the property owner who’s not interested at all in that, just having to do it to satisfy the requirement to be allowed to build.  Putting people with a different priority entirely in charge of providing a public amenity is seldom for the best. 

]]> By: The Vegan Society http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352405 The Vegan Society Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352405 The sign itself is also something of an heirloom, having been painted by an undergraduate back in the late 1980s, and carefully moved as the library was shunted from room to room in the college :-) The sign itself is also something of an heirloom, having been painted by an undergraduate back in the late 1980s, and carefully moved as the library was shunted from room to room in the college :-)

]]> By: Ronald Pottol http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352369 Ronald Pottol Thu, 23 Feb 2012 08:42:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352369 Use the server name of the article with the /foo/bar stuff from the ea.sfgate.com url, and you can find it. Use the server name of the article with the /foo/bar stuff from the ea.sfgate.com url, and you can find it.

]]> By: Z http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352318 Z Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352318  I dunno what happened to America, but the current view of property is really irritating. It used to be that property wasn't meant to be horded and wasted, thus community access was a big deal.  I dunno what happened to America, but the current view of property is really irritating. It used to be that property wasn’t meant to be horded and wasted, thus community access was a big deal.

]]> By: Val A Lindsay http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352273 Val A Lindsay Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352273 In acknowledgement of the sign in the picture; I wonder if the stairs are gone? In acknowledgement of the sign in the picture; I wonder if the stairs are gone?

]]> By: Courtney Williams http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352116 Courtney Williams Thu, 23 Feb 2012 01:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352116 It's from the doorway of the <a href="http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/scc/icsf/" rel="nofollow">Science Fiction Library of Imperial College London</a> - the largest sci fi library in Europe, second largest in the world :-) It’s from the doorway of the Science Fiction Library of Imperial College London – the largest sci fi library in Europe, second largest in the world :-)

]]> By: Chris Bachmann http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352061 Chris Bachmann Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352061 Love the photo in the post BTW. Very Douglas Adams. Now I want to make one. Love the photo in the post BTW. Very Douglas Adams. Now I want to make one.

]]> By: DocPop http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352051 DocPop Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:44:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352051 We do photowalks to many of these places a couple times a year. It's really awesome to find these little hidden gems in the city, but there's one spot on this list, at the base of a federal building, were the overzealous security guards will actually call the cops if you have a camera on you. We've done this walk three times so far with no problems, except for this one spot, were we've been called "trespassers" by the private security for being in the POPOS. We do photowalks to many of these places a couple times a year. It’s really awesome to find these little hidden gems in the city, but there’s one spot on this list, at the base of a federal building, were the overzealous security guards will actually call the cops if you have a camera on you. We’ve done this walk three times so far with no problems, except for this one spot, were we’ve been called “trespassers” by the private security for being in the POPOS.

]]> By: niktemadur http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352042 niktemadur Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352042 Clicking on the link in the article to "Check out to see six sites <b>here</b>", I get <i>Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at ed.sfgate.com</i>. These "public" privately owned spaces are hidden away from my browser and that needs to change! :-P Clicking on the link in the article to “Check out to see six sites here“, I get Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at ed.sfgate.com.

These “public” privately owned spaces are hidden away from my browser and that needs to change! :-P

]]> By: Regan Martin http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352029 Regan Martin Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352029 SPUR did a roundup of POPOS a few years ago.  Looks like their map is on Google Maps now:  http://www.spur.org/blog/2011-02-03/spur-popos-guide-now-google-maps totally agree with you on the sign requirements though, one of many things our City can learn from NY. SPUR did a roundup of POPOS a few years ago.  Looks like their map is on Google Maps now: 

http://www.spur.org/blog/2011-02-03/spur-popos-guide-now-google-maps

totally agree with you on the sign requirements though, one of many things our City can learn from NY.

]]> By: MrEricSir http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352018 MrEricSir Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352018 Plus it has a fun little map showing all the POPOS. I think the fact that they're "hidden" is part of the fun.  There's nothing quite like stumbling on a cool little patio or garden somewhere and feeling like you've discovered something few others have seen. Plus it has a fun little map showing all the POPOS.

I think the fact that they’re “hidden” is part of the fun.  There’s nothing quite like stumbling on a cool little patio or garden somewhere and feeling like you’ve discovered something few others have seen.

]]> By: Another Kevin http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1352008 Another Kevin Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:55:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1352008 But "Open to Public," of course, doesn't mean that the space is open to any given person at any given time. The landowner's permission is still required, and may be denied or withdrawn at any time. (cf. Zuccotti Park.) The distinction between privately-owned public space and simple private property is unclear; there may not be one, in which case the signage is entirely irrelevant. But “Open to Public,” of course, doesn’t mean that the space is open to any given person at any given time. The landowner’s permission is still required, and may be denied or withdrawn at any time. (cf. Zuccotti Park.) The distinction between privately-owned public space and simple private property is unclear; there may not be one, in which case the signage is entirely irrelevant.

]]> By: Dean Putney http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1351981 Dean Putney Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1351981 I've been wanting to check out these locations for a while, maybe the time is coming close! I’ve been wanting to check out these locations for a while, maybe the time is coming close!

]]> By: Austin Haley http://boingboing.net/2012/02/22/san-franciscos-public-pr.html#comment-1351976 Austin Haley Wed, 22 Feb 2012 23:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=145027#comment-1351976 The incredibly awesome podcast 99% Invisible did a show on these privately owned public open spaces (POPOS).  I'd highly recommend listening. http://99percentinvisible.org/post/1486271078/episode-09-99-private-download-embed-share  The incredibly awesome podcast 99% Invisible did a show on these privately owned public open spaces (POPOS).  I’d highly recommend listening.

http://99percentinvisible.org/post/1486271078/episode-09-99-private-download-embed-share 

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