Defining Regenerative Zoo Exhibits: A Cross- Cultural Evaluation of Visitor Preferences to Enhance Experience and Animal Welfare through landscape-Based Design

Abstract

Zoos, as part of the components of urban parks, offer significant potential for integrating sustainability and regenerative landscape principles within city environments. Although these principles have been widely applied in urban and ecological contexts, their specific application in zoo environments, particularly in balancing visitor experience, animal welfare, and enhancing urban overall livability remains underexplored. This study investigates regenerative zoo exhibit strategies by evaluating visitor preference towards landscape elements. The research was conducted through two previous case studies: Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Kyoto City Zoo in Kyoto, Japan. Visitor preferences were assessed through surveys and visual simulations of various exhibit design models, focusing on key landscape elements such as trees, water features, shrubs, and environmental enrichment. The findings show that while naturalistic elements consistently enhance animal welfare, visitor satisfaction is often influenced by visibility and spatial openness, highlighting a potential trade-off in exhibit design. Cross-cultural analysis shows both Japanese and Indonesian preferred a naturalistic landscape setting for the visitor satisfaction and animal welfare. The most influential landscape elements that influence the naturalistic landscape setting are trees, water features, and shrubs on both case studies. However, the degree of naturalistic landscape setting tends to be higher in the Japanese case study compared to Indonesian case, which may be influenced by cultural perceptions of animals and recreational expectations. This study proposes a framework for regenerative zoo exhibit design that integrates ecological aesthetic, animal behavioral enrichment, and human-animal interaction. These findings contribute to the practical strategies for supporting both sustainable and inclusive landscape design, especially in zoological settings.