City
How to make privately owned public spaces more accessible in Toronto
They might look like the exclusive domain of condo dwellers and office workers, but hidden on roofs and behind gates are several hundred privately owned public spaces - POPS for short - that the city should do more to advertise, according to councillor Josh Matlow.
In a motion adopted by council at its November meeting, city staff estimate there are at least 27 POPS in the Toronto that account for more than 1 million square feet of parkland many don't know they have the right to use.
Way over in San Francisco, they had a similar problem. The Californian city mandated that new public spaces be included in all office development in 1985, but building owners were a little reluctant to invite the great unwashed inside, often resorting to crafty tactics that include placing signs at knee-level or using really tiny fonts.
Here, there are no rules requiring building owners to put up a sign, so most of our POPS are the sole domain of those in the know. Conversely, Matlow says there are likely many who believe their condo garden or rooftop perch is private when actually anyone is allowed to use it.
According to Metro, Yorkville has unmarked parks at One Bedford and 18 Yorkville. There's another at 33 Bay Street.
Most of our POPS were created using Section 37 agreements, clauses that trade condo developers extra floors, for example, in exchange for a parkette or other beneficial public feature. The others were built around office towers and high-rise apartments in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Despite the city's success at creating the spaces, argues Matlow's motion, it doesn't do a stellar job of pointing them out.
Back in San Fran, city has just released a web app that catalogs and maps its POPS with photographs, descriptions, and, thanks to Google Maps, directions. Once our own study is complete perhaps the city should look into something similar.
Though Matlow's motion only calls for signage, should it be taken a step further? Would you like to see signs added to privately owned public spaces? Do you have one in your building? Tell us below.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Photo: "McGill Parkette" by psychedelicmojo2001 from the blogTO Flickr pool.
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if the condo renegs on the deal, then maybe they should be required to demolish the extra floors or whatever extra they were granted when they agreed.
There really only needs to be something like a sign saying 'this is a public space, owned by x' or 'private property, for public use subject to regulations xyz'.
"Section 37 of the Planning Act permits the City to authorize increases in permitted height and/or density through the zoning bylaw in return for community benefits" (more details in Section 5.1.1 of Toronto's Official Plan)
http://www.toronto.ca/planning/section37.htm
http://www.toronto.ca/planning/official_plan/introduction.htm
They are privately owned places that have been contractually agreed to be open to the public (in exchange for increased density).
Since when is it socialist to live up to your contractual obligations??
Re: I can see how some condo dwellers would be concerned with more "public" use of their space considering how people already treat public space. You see so much litter/garbage around in public parks, dogs not being picked up after, etc. If everyone respected public space like it was their own private space then maybe people wouldn't be so concerned with "public" using the space that they are contractually able to use.
Just build an app, get some signs made, and put the info on the City's web site. High school kids could build the app for crying out loud. But in true Toronto fashion, I see a new committee and four years of staff reports before a simple solution is rolled out.