17 January 2025, 07:34

By EJ Ward

Walk through the city and you’d be forgiven for thinking the squares, parks, and plazas you encounter belong to all of us.

They’re open, green, and buzzing with activity. But look closer – or check for those subtle gold studs embedded in the pavement – and you’ll discover the uncomfortable truth: you’ve just crossed into private property.

These innocuous little markers are all that stand between what’s truly public and what’s privately owned, yet they govern what you can and cannot do in these pseudo-public spaces, or POPs.

Who knew? Certainly not most of us. When did these little studs even become a thing?

They’re a demarcation line so discreet it feels almost sneaky, designed to pass unnoticed by the very people it affects. The first time I stumbled across them, it was only because I was trying to figure out why I’d suddenly been stopped for taking a photograph.

On one side of the studs, I had every right to capture the scene – it was a public space. On the other side, however, the space was privately owned, and a security guard was suddenly in my face, telling me I couldn’t film without permission.

The absurdity of this cannot be overstated. How can a small gold stud embedded in the ground determine whether an entirely legal activity – filming, taking a photo, sitting on the ground – is suddenly prohibited?

These........

© LBC