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Somerville's parks and open spaces contribute to creating a vibrant and healthy community. In Somerville, the most densely populated city in New England with the least amount of open space per person, residents consistently identify open space as a precious community resource worthy of both protecting and expanding. Due to present-day real estate costs, it is very difficult for the City to buy and create new open spaces. Although the City actively pursues purchasing property for open space, the biggest opportunity for new open space, which will help us meet our SomerVision 2040 goal of adding over 100 acres of open space, comes in the form of private development.
This guide and policy focuses on one type of open space: privately owned public space (POPS). It is intended to communicate to real estate developers, their design consultants, and the public that open space is a critical part of development in Somerville and that the Public Space and Urban Forestry Division (PSUF) is a partner in ensuring the creation of high-quality open spaces that truly serve the public.
The creation of new open space must be considered both within Somerville’s urban context and its entire network of open spaces. Many of the City’s transformative development areas are becoming entirely new neighborhoods. As such, newly created POPS must provide amenities for all ages, physical abilities, and activity levels. While a development team may be designing the parcel in front of their building, that same parcel is part of an existing or future open space network serving all city residents and visitors. POPS in Somerville must work to meet the open space needs of the entire city, and, importantly, they must be read as truly public and inclusive spaces.
Artwork by Bedelyn Dabel.
Somerville's parks and open spaces contribute to creating a vibrant and healthy community. In Somerville, the most densely populated city in New England with the least amount of open space per person, residents consistently identify open space as a precious community resource worthy of both protecting and expanding. Due to present-day real estate costs, it is very difficult for the City to buy and create new open spaces. Although the City actively pursues purchasing property for open space, the biggest opportunity for new open space, which will help us meet our SomerVision 2040 goal of adding over 100 acres of open space, comes in the form of private development.
This guide and policy focuses on one type of open space: privately owned public space (POPS). It is intended to communicate to real estate developers, their design consultants, and the public that open space is a critical part of development in Somerville and that the Public Space and Urban Forestry Division (PSUF) is a partner in ensuring the creation of high-quality open spaces that truly serve the public.
The creation of new open space must be considered both within Somerville’s urban context and its entire network of open spaces. Many of the City’s transformative development areas are becoming entirely new neighborhoods. As such, newly created POPS must provide amenities for all ages, physical abilities, and activity levels. While a development team may be designing the parcel in front of their building, that same parcel is part of an existing or future open space network serving all city residents and visitors. POPS in Somerville must work to meet the open space needs of the entire city, and, importantly, they must be read as truly public and inclusive spaces.
