A public plaza is a paved open space on a structure's property which is available for entry by any person. Only spaces of substantial area (at least 100 square meters of pavement) can count as plazas, although they can be interrupted by plantings, benches, fountains, sculptures, pools, and kiosks.

A plaza must be on the same lot as a building in order to be associated with it as an amenity. Public passageways and rights-of-way, such as riverwalks, do not count as plazas unless they offer sufficient additional space off of the foot traffic corridor.

Although multiple buildings can share the same plaza, it is not enough for a building to front on a plaza for it to be listed as that building's amenity. The plaza must belong to that structure's lot. While a plaza can include planted areas, a wide planted area without pavement would be considered a yard, garden, or something else rather than a plaza.