The concept of public interest has found varied applications in diverse fields of study and professional practice such as public administration, politics, law, social relations and physical planning. Despite the pervasive applications of this concept, building a consensus around the connotation has been rather problematic. Drawing on the wealth of extant works on the concept of public interest, this article attempts a conceptual overview of this oft-used, but largely nebulous concept with a view to tracing its origin, content, context and relevance in the field of physical planning. This article notes that while there is a multiplicity of abstractions, the central theme of public interest remains unchanged: people in the collective – their concerns, aspirations and stakes. The multiplicity of interpretations is traceable to the different ideological, disciplinary and professional contexts within which public interest finds expr