Privately Owned Public Spaces are getting a new logo

The new POPS logo will feature three white chairs against a black background. Courtesy of the Department of City Planning.

By Victoria Merlino

For many New Yorkers, privately owned public spaces serve as somewhat secluded spots to cool off, hang out and eat lunch during a busy workday.

Now, POPS will be easier to spot than ever.

The Department of City Planning announced that POPS will be receiving a new logo, comprised of three white chairs on a black background, which will signal that the area is a designated public space.

“We challenged folks around the globe to design a logo for New York City’s beloved POPS – and the public responded with amazing creativity. There were so many incredible designs that it was hard to choose. But, the happy, almost-dancing, chairs of this logo bring a smile to your face, and say ‘Welcome!’” DCP Director Marisa Lago said in a statement.

Over 600 designs for the new logo were submitted in an international design competition, meant to replace a decades-old design that the spaces had outgrown, according to DCP. Despite international competition, the winner is fittingly a New York-based graphic designer.

“I'm so honored to have my design chosen as New York City's new Privately Owned Public Spaces logo. I've spent many of my lunch hours in a POPS in lower Manhattan which, in part, inspired me to submit a design!” said winner Emma Reed in a statement.

“It was fascinating to see what 607 creators sought to communicate through their logos. The thread connecting the winning chair logo and many others was simple: POPS are for people,” said Jerold Kayden, president of nonprofit awareness group Advocates for Privately Owned Public Space.

A photo of a POPS space at 590 Madison Ave. in Manhattan.

In exchange for bonus floor areas or waivers, private property owners offer up various amenities to the public, such as seating and greenspace, creating POPS. The spaces add roughly 3.8 million square feet of public space to the city, which is equivalent in size to roughly 66 football fields, according to DCP.

There are 550 POPS at 350 buildings across the city. Though most are located in Manhattan, there are two in Queens: one in Rego Park and one in Long Island City.

To check out an interactive map of POPS you can visit, head to nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/pops/pops.page.