Partner Spotlight

Design Center has been a proud partner with Mars Petcare in the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program since its inception in 2017. With the marked increase in pet ownership and findings supporting the power of pets to positively impact human physical and mental health, our efforts in making pets more considered and welcomed – in both public and private spaces – has become even more critical in a post-pandemic world.

As a primary impact partner in the Better Cities for Pets program, we help to anticipate and address planning, design and programming needs that support pets, pet owners and non-pet owners alike. Key annual efforts include thought, toolkit and activation leadership, assessment and grants design and administration. In 2021-22 our work involved new learnings and initiatives that consider how pets become further integrated into homes/ housing, businesses, travel, hotels, workplaces, and public spaces.

Nationally, Civic Design Center led and administered the Better Cities for Pets Grants Program, a mini-grant program for cats, and a new Better Cities for Pets Airport Assessment and Certification. We were proud to help award Nashville International Airport with the first Better Cities for Pets Airport

Certification (image left) as well as five other cities by year’s end. Civic Design Center continued its work, engagement and support of over one hundred Better Cities for Pets certified cities and twentyone grant recipients. We provided design guidance and toolkit contributions to six areas of program work and led or supported ten local and national program activations—including public input initiatives.

As we look to 2023, we’re excited to further expand our work in Mars Petcare’s Better Cities for Pets program in helping to support cities and their two and four-legged community members locally, regionally, nationally and beyond.