Unlike New York’s highly codified system for developing and regulating access to POPS, Boston has no official mechanism for these types of developments. Instead, Boston POPS have developed in a number of ways. Some POPS are the result of the Planned Development Area (PDA), the process that Boston uses to approve larger-scale development. In order to receive approval, many developers construct POPS to add new amenities to their neighborhood or to mitigate negative impacts of their project, like increased traffic or decreased open space. Other POPS are the result of Chapter 91, a Massachusetts state law that requires that the Massachusetts shoreline remain accessible to public use. As a result, developers on Boston Harbor must provide space for the Harbor Walkway, a project to create a seamless pedestrian park along Boston Harbor.

Other POPS have resulted from situations where developers built on public land or benefited from public investment. For example, in the 1980s, Copley Place was constructed over the publicly-owned Massachusetts Turnpike. In the 1960s, the Prudential Center was built on a former rail yard taken by the city for redevelopment. In both cases, developers agreed to create public spaces for nearby residents. Finally, some POPS may also be the result of simple private enterprise. For example, in Boston’s Financial District, a group of property owners came together in the 1980s to purchase a parking garage that, in their view, was damaging property values. The owners placed the garage underground and replaced it with a popular and well-maintained park known as Post Office Square.

While POPS can be found throughout Boston, for most of the public they remain a mystery. Since Boston hasn’t formally adopted POPS into its zoning code, there is no one place where all POPS are documented.