Responsible and Interesting Zoos!

Background

Zoological parks (zoos) exist to serve four primary purposes: (1) wildlife conservation, (2) scientific research, (3) education, and (4) recreation. They are designed with all these purposes in mind. When they are responsibly designed and well run, zoos can excel at fulfilling all four of their primary purposes. However, when zoos are poorly designed, they fall short of effectively fulfilling one or more of these purposes.

The design of all zoos begins with examining the land available. Once the land has been deemed acceptable, the designer must consider the layout with regards to the safety and experience of animals, employees, and visitors.

Your team has been asked by the Council Obsessed with Maximizing Animal Prosperity (COMAP) to design a zoo on a 1-square-kilometer plot of land of your choosing. COMAP is willing and able to purchase the land you need, so the exact dimensions and location of the plot can be completely flexible. Moreover, they have assured you that access to water, sewer, and electricity can be provided to any location within reason. This allows your team to assume that the land that you choose is acceptable for use as a zoo so you can focus your efforts on creating your design.

COMAP’s goal is to get the best quality product. Therefore, while there are significant resources available, they are not unlimited. For your team this means that while you have a lot of flexibility in your design process and the location of your zoo, your product could be passed over if it is too logistically difficult to facilitate or is too overelaborate.