Bryant Park and the management and organization of public spaces

Bryant Park in NYC gets a lot of criticism because for much of the year it is closed off for special events. Special events fees are used to help pay for the park's upkeep. Bryant Park was one of the first "public-private" partnerships to manage public spaces.

See this NYT piece from 1992, "Bryant Park, An Out-of-Town Experience," which describes the improvements to the park, based on the work of William Whyte, author of City: Rediscovering the Center and founder of the Project for Public Spaces.

Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times. Photo taken during Bryant Park’s summer film festival.