Navigating between private and public: Understanding publicness of public open spaces in private developments in Hong Kong

Abstract

Given that lands became increasingly expensive for governments to meet open space standards, there emerged a growing trend towards private sector involvement public open space provision. This collaboration has given rise to public open spaces in private developments (POSPD), characterised by varying levels of ‘publicness’ – the degree to which a space embodies public qualities and serves public interests. This research seeks to systematically understand the diverse manifestations of publicness in POSPDs using a proposed conceptual framework. Empirical examination of cases in Hong Kong yielded the statistical categorisation of POSPDs into five types, namely Edge Zone, Hide-and-Seek, Pseudo-Public Park, Consumers’ Paradise and Public Plaza. The results revealed a classist nature of POSPD publicness, with accessibility disproportionately favouring privileged groups. These findings contribute to a better understanding of POSPD publicness and highlights gaps in POS service and governance practice, provides valuable guidance for urban planners, policymakers, and developers in navigating the complexities of public space provision in increasingly privatized urban environments. The insights are relevant for creating more inclusive public spaces that cater to the needs of all community members, particularly in Asia’s high-density urban contexts.