Public Open Space is often referred to by urban planner

Urban planner

An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...

s and landscape architect

Landscape architect

A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....

s 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
  Town square
  A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
  
  
• a greenway
  Greenway
  -People:* Barney Greenway , British death metal vocalist* Brian Greenway , Canadian guitarist and vocalist* Chad Greenway , American football player* Francis Greenway , Australian architect...
  
   which is open to the public but runs through farmland or a forest
• a public highway
  Highway
  A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
  
  
• a private road
  Private road
  A private road is a road owned and maintained by a private individual, organization, or company rather than by a government.Consequently, unauthorized use of the road may be considered trespassing, and some of the usual rules of the road may not apply...
  
   with public access

See also

• public good
  Public good
  In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...
  
  
• public space
  Public space
  A public space is a social space such as a town square that is open and accessible to all, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age or socio-economic level. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants...
  
  
• environmental good
  Environmental good
  Environmental goods are a sub-category of public goods which includes:* Clean air* Clean water* Landscape* Scenic towns* Green transport infrastructure * A diverse flora* A diverse fauna* Public parks...
  
  
• landscape planning
  Landscape planning
  Landscape planning is a branch of landscape architecture. Urban park systems and greenway of the type planned by Frederick Law Olmsted are key examples of urban landscape planning. Landscape designers tend to work for clients who wish to commission construction work...
  
  
• landscape architecture
  Landscape architecture
  Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
  
  

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.