Championing pet-friendly design in urban environments

Creating shaded parks doesn’t just create pleasant places for people to walk their dogs. It also offers numerous advantages from a social, economic and climate perspective.

C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 cities, and Mars, Incorporated have teamed up to help 10 million people and pets gain access to green spaces by 2030, starting with pilot programs around the world.

Nature’s benefit

Evidence shows that equitable access to nature provides significant and measurable benefits to both people and the environment, protects public health and builds more inclusive economies.

In fact, roughly half of the world’s annual GDP ($44 trillion/€38 trillion) depends on nature in some capacity.

According to the World Economic Forum, nature-based investments could create 395 million jobs by 2030. For example, Colombian capital Bogotá’s ‘Women Who Re-Green’ program has employed over 60,000 people in green jobs since 2021, focusing on women from diverse backgrounds. That’s a real economic impact with social benefits.

Meanwhile, for municipalities, adding more green spaces is a good investment too. Parks and tree canopies form essential infrastructure that helps protect communities from flooding and dangerous heat, while cutting down on local governmental costs for healthcare, storm damage repairs and energy bills.

Cities are leading the way

Despite nature’s enormous value, however, many urban dwellers lack access to safe, green spaces. That’s why C40 Cities launched the Urban Nature Accelerator in 2021.

Participating cities have committed to ambitious targets: either increasing the amount of nature covering built-up areas to 30-40% or ensuring 70% of residents can reach green or blue (water) spaces within a 15-minute walk. Within two years, around half of those cities had already hit their 2030 targets.

Making a measurable difference

These commitments contain inspiring success stories:

• 21 cities have launched tree planting and biodiversity programs with community involvement.
• 13 have built major new parks, green corridors and biodiversity projects.
• 14 have updated their planning policies to prioritize nature.
• Nine have created green job programs.

For example, Guadalajara in Mexico planted over 45,000 trees across its hottest, least green neighborhoods, while adding 20 new green ‘corridors’ in two years. Quezon City in the Philippines created 63 new parks between 2021 and 2023.

Meanwhile, Mexico City transformed the historic but underused Kiosko Morisco park into a neighborhood favorite, adding dog-friendly areas and hosting regular pet community events.

A guide for pet-friendly cities

Such initiatives represent new opportunities for families and pets to enjoy healthier, more connected urban living.

They don’t only create vibrant new community spaces where people can walk their dogs just minutes from their homes. They also contribute to neighborhoods with clean air and comfortable temperatures – even in the summer.

C40 and Mars have gathered these and other examples of pet-friendly interventions in the Urban Nature Playbook for People, Pets and the Planet to support the creation, improvement and increased accessibility of more green spaces for the benefit of people, pets and the planet.

Featuring best practices and 18 evidence-based recommendations, this three-step guide is designed to inspire action in other cities around the world.

Utilizing pet industry expertise

To take the next step in our work and expand our audience to include pet owners, C40 has now teamed up with Mars to support the Better Cities for Pets Program to champion nature for all in urban environments.

By pooling expertise and drawing inspiration from the success stories so far, we are working with first-mover cities to drive the development of pet-friendly green spaces.

Our goal? By 2030, we want to help 10 million people and pets have access to green spaces that strengthen climate resilience, boost biodiversity and improve overall quality of life.

We aim to prove that designing with pets in mind results in better cities for all residents – humans and animals – and leads to sustainable growth.

Adopting solutions locally

Concrete examples of C40 and Mars’ work with cities, businesses and communities around the world include programs to support pilots in London, Los Angeles, São Paulo, Bengaluru and Bangkok.

Specifically, in the Watcharapirom Park project in Bangkok, wasted space beneath highway flyovers has been transformed into a thriving community hub, with shaded rest areas, pet play zones and natural cooling features that make dense city living more comfortable.

C40 and Mars are helping other cities to adopt the Urban Nature Playbook in other ways. This entails testing solutions such as improving the outdoor environment of a social housing complex, increasing shading in parks, and implementing nature-based solutions to boost access to urban green areas and improve livability in local neighborhoods.

Opportunity for the pet sector

Pet owners are frequent users of urban green spaces – every day, in all weather – contributing to what makes these spaces come alive.

When businesses engage pet owners in the planning and design of pet-friendly spaces, positive change follows: parks get more use, communities take ownership and spaces become safer and more accessible for everyone.

Therefore, the opportunity is compelling for businesses in the pet sector. By supporting green spaces, pet companies have a chance to create lasting value by strengthening communities, deepening customer trust and making cities more livable for everyone.

The vision is clear and the path is open. Now is the moment for pet owners, advocates and businesses to help create the green, inclusive cities we all rely on.