Better Airports for Pets + People

Written By Veronica Foster

5 min read Pet ownership is on the rise and studies have shown that (especially post-pandemic) people are wanting to take their pets everywhere they live, work and play more than ever before. In looking at the intersections where these core areas of life happen, we began study in offices, airports and hotels. As first in our series, we are thrilled to help Mars Petcare develop and announce a new airport assessment, certification and toolkit aimed at helping airports accommodate the growing desire from pet parents to travel with their dogs and cats, and encourage other airports to make the travel experience more welcoming to both people and their pets.

As a proud, foundational partner with Mars Petcare in the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, we’ve seen our work evolve in ways we could not have imagined five years ago when the program first began.  This work has spurred us to dive into core areas of study involving topics such as: 

  • making pet-friendly spaces and places warm and welcoming for people and pets; 

  • how public and private developments and design choices shape individual and community health and connectivity;

  • best practices and innovations around safe pet-friendly areas both indoors and outdoors;  

  • why making “pets welcome” places and spaces matters now more than ever before;

  • how civic planning and design must consider pets and go beyond “parks-only” thinking. 

BACKGROUND ON Making Airports more Pet Friendly

Since 2019, Civic Design Center and Mars Petcare have been engaged in the exploration of how the five topics above-as well as our expansive work could be employed in relationship to unique environments.  Keen eyes at Mars Petcare began observing over time that Nashville International Airport (BNA), the home airport for Mars Petcare US headquarters, was bustling – with both people and pets.  Due to marked growth in both residents and workplaces relocating to Nashville and a robust tourism industry, BNA had become one of the busiest airports of its size in the United States. We were not expecting that so many of these new residents, businesses and visitors wanted their pets to travel with them to Nashville as well - so it was time to get to work!  

In study of our seminal publication Shaping the Healthy Community: The Nashville Plan, we had identified airports as being of the seven core transect zones, known as districts.  Akin to other types of districts such as business or university campuses, airports function almost as their own city. Districts have key amenities for live, work and play options and often their own internal transportation systems. When our work began, pet air travel was at its highest rate, so it was a natural extension of our work in considering pets both in district and transportation-oriented environments.

Nashville INTERNATIONAL Airport (BNA) as a Case Study & PILOT PROJECT

Airports are complex entities; the full path that service animal and pet-traveling individuals take for both arrival and departure must be considered.  BNA recognized trends as well and were willing to serve as a first airport case study and pilot project. We worked to develop a framework of considerations for each pathway as well as best practices informed by further research and pilot study; insights from experts at BNA and American Association of Airport Executives; local and national experts on accessibility considerations; and more. We began to see clear pathways to use in a service animal and pet-friendly airport framework.

Considerations and opportunities in key areas:

  • Welcoming pets and their people

  • Wayfinding and signage

  • Pet-friendly places and spaces

  • Incidents & accidents

  • Customer experience and engagement

These key areas evolved more fully into an assessment tool, certification and toolkit that aims to help airports become more pet friendly, accommodate the growing desire from pet parents to travel with their dogs and cats, and encourage other airports to make the travel experience more welcoming to both people and their pets. Further, in November 2021, BNA was announced as the first Better Cities for Pets Certified Airport, recognizing BNA’s efforts in supporting the needs and safety of pets and service animals in operations, amenities and more. If you travel through BNA for the holidays, make sure to check out new “pets welcome” signage, website tools and information, relief and play areas (located in both pre- and post security areas!) with more to come as construction continues through 2023!

Dog Park in Pedestrian Plaza of Nashville International Airport (BNA)

There is still much more to learn in this arena on how changes affect travelers and traveler experience for both those with two and four legs. To learn more about findings in Pets in Pandemic and Keeping People & Pets Together Annual Reports, Airport Toolkit and Certification, visit www.bettercitiesforpets.com and stay tuned for updates and more news from Civic Design Center coming in 2022!  

Veronica Foster
Previous

Holiday Decorations Around Town
Next

Rethinking Interstates Within Neighborhoods