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Today, two specific types of POPS, public plazas and arcades, can be built in exchange for bonus floor area. Learn about how POPS and their associated zoning regulations have evolved by clicking the “History” tab above. Since 1961, other types of outdoor and indoor spaces have been introduced in the Zoning Resolution as the Department of City Planning expanded the program and refined amenities and operational standards to meet public needs, changing tastes and technological advances. When first introduced as a zoning tool, the program allowed developers to build more usable space (also known as floor area) or receive special waivers for a building if they also created plazas or arcades that are open to the public. Then an innovative program, POPS have stood the test of time, and today there are more than 590 POPS, mostly in Manhattan’s dense urban core. The POPS Program dates to 1961, when New York City’s Zoning Resolution was last overhauled. The Department’s interactive map provides an overview of all POPS in the city, and includes information on location, size, hours of operation, amenities – and much more. Combined, POPS provide over 3.8 million square feet of additional public space in the City – equivalent to roughly nine Bryant Parks or Union Squares! These public spaces are primarily located in Manhattan, but are increasingly being developed in the other boroughs, particularly Brooklyn and Queens, as the commercial office markets expand. To date, over 590 POPS have been built at over 380 buildings across New York City. Thus POPS are important amenities for New Yorkers, commuters, and visitors. POPS are the result of City zoning regulations aimed at ensuring the densest areas of our city offer a measure of open public space and greenery.
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POPS come in many shapes and sizes, both outdoor and indoor, and offer a variety of amenities. More than 590 POPS provide a myriad of opportunities to sit, relax, people watch, eat, meet others – in other words, to partake and enjoy in urban life in one of the world’s greatest cities. Privately owned public spaces, also known by the acronym POPS, are spaces dedicated to public use and enjoyment and which are owned and maintained by private property owners, in exchange for bonus floor area or waivers.