The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?

If a space is private, it should not be called public, and planners should send back any application that makes this false claim. This matters because, if we are kidded into thinking that there is a civic realm that is not actually there, we will suddenly find that there is less space than we had thought for such essential public actions as protest.

— Rowan Moore, The London River Park: place for the people or a private playground?