Teheran-ro in Seoul and Mediaspree area in Berlin are pristine examples for public spaces with a history of rapid change in the context of broader political and economic transitions. Dahae Lee shows that in such a transitional context, the public sector alone is incapable to provide and manage public space. Hence, it engages private sector entities in the form of privately owned public space/s (POPS). By analysing the planning instruments used for POPS in both cases, their uniqueness as well as strengths and weaknesses are revealed. Based on the results this study offers a number of policy recommendations for cities that encounter similar problems.

Dahae Lee works as a research associate at the Faculty of Spatial Planning from the Technische Universität of Dortmund. Prior to her PhD at the TU Dortmund, she studied geography and urban planning at Humboldt University of Berlin and University College London. Her research focuses on public space governance and urban transformation.