Assessment of User Perceptionon Public and Private Spaceswithin Urban Context

Abstract

Public spaces are vital features in the urban context which offers inclusive environment for everyone in the society.Traditionally, urban public spaces (UPS) were developed by the governmentintended for places of interaction withthe aims of social welfare and public health. In the recent past, private sector involvement in the public space provision was visible with significant changes in the form and functionsinfluenced by market-basedmotives.Although commercialization or privatizationaspects ofpublic space was often debated, the user perception of the use ofpublic spaces from ownership and access control aspects were less studied in the context of developing countries. This study aimed at identifying the attributes for which people differentiate and experience in four public spaces owned andoperated by the government and private sectorin the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.The study used 35 semi-structured interviews and 119 online questionnairesurveys to identify the user defined features of ownership and access control for public space use. The results revealed that governmentowned and operated spaces were preferred by the users due to easy access and freedom for activities while privately owned spaces were preferred due to better infrastructure, safety, and security within. Also, each public space offered benefits to specific user profile regardless its ownership or access controls. However, the freedom and openness provided by governmentowned spaces were identified as important in comparison with the restrictions imposed by private sector operated public spaces. This study provides key insights for urban planners and policy makers to identify the role of private sector in the provision of effective urban spaces in the fast-growing citiesas well as possible pitfalls and negative externalities created by unregulated spaces.

Keywords

• urban public space
• user perception
• ownership
• access controls