Rebranding zoos: defining the role of zoos using landscape performance

Zoos have, what some might consider, a sordid history in human society. As societal knowledge and values have evolved over centuries, zoos have increasingly been recognized for generating knowledge, conserving animals, and educating the public. These benefits are mainly attributed to zoos' institutional aspects, such as research and conservation initiatives. However, the contributions of the physical zoo landscape remain less clear. As diverse spatial environments, zoos offer opportunities to provide additional benefits. This study adapts the landscape performance framework to examine 11 award-winning zoos in North America. The results summarize the potential benefits that zoo landscapes can achieve, suggest design strategies to optimize these benefits, and adapt and propose metrics and methods to measure the performance of zoo landscapes. This study aims to promote evidence-based zoo design and the functioning of zoo landscapes.