Govt Definition: What constitutes a ‘public space’

All open and closed spaces the public has access to counts as a public space, says a City District Government Lahore notification issued on November 3. 


Any building to which the public has access or any space specified for a public gathering, even temporarily, is a public space, it says.  Public places include restaurants, eating places, cafes, public festival gathering sites, Sunday bazaars, cattle markets, public parks, recreational sites, markets, bus stands, waiting sites and places used by such organisations, whether bounded or unbounded, and spaces of commercial buildings left open, including roof tops, according to the notification.  It also states that any activities that cause nuisance, annoyance or health risks for the general public are prohibited in public places. Such activities include smoking “in any form”.