A Life in Empathetic Design — For Animals, People, and Nature
A three-part digital book sharing five decades of collaborative, regenerative planning and design across sixteen countries on six continents.
Welcome.
Mission: To collaborate in the creation of regenerative, sustainable, and delightful habitats for people, plants, and animals.
Now that I have retired, I offer this website as a story told in three interrelated sections: a how & why zoo design manual, a life of global adventure and reflection in landscape architecture, environmental planning and design and an exploration of ways of seeing and knowing through drawings and poems.
Together, they describe physical, intellectual, and emotional journeys — and the lessons learned along the way.
Adventures in Zoo Planning & Design – Theory & Practice
A how-and-why zoo design book in digital form.
This section brings together decades of experience working with more than eighty zoological institutions (many through multiple projects) in twelve countries on five continents.
It is a practical and philosophical guide to the design and operation of innovative zoo exhibits and wildlife sanctuaries — benefiting all stakeholders, especially animals, support staff, and visitors.
Topics include:
- Animal welfare and exhibit design
- Visitor experience and education
- Sustainable and regenerative practices
- Collaborative planning methods
- Lessons from international partnerships
For personal stories and reflections from this work, see Book 2, Chapter Seven.
Adventures in Environmental Design
Memoir of Jon Charles Coe
This ten-chapter memoir traces a life of design adventures, challenges, collaborations, and learned lessons across twelve countries — with travel in thirty countries along the way.
Projects ranged from:
- US Peace Corps volunteer community service in Brazilian favelas in the 1960s
- Backpacking around South America and later adventure travels
- Housing design for low-income, elderly, and mentally infirm communities in the Canadian prairies
- Environmental impact analysis in the Canadian far north
- Collaborations with directors and designers in forty-seven zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens
- Eco-planning and self-help initiatives with Afghan mountain villages
- Regenerative farm planning in Afghanistan and Ukraine
- National and nature park planning in the US, Brazil, Canada, Afghanistan, Ghana, China, and Ukraine
This memoir reflects not only on projects, but on people, partnerships, cultural learning, setbacks, and growth.
From the Field – Travel Poetry & Sketches
During my travels, I often found moments to sit quietly and sketch landscapes and wildlife — absorbing subtle connections between place, people, and environment.
Out of these moments emerged “sketch poems”: storytelling in loose verse rather than academic poetry. They are reflections meant to be shared with travellers, wilderness lovers, and fellow observers.
This collection includes thirty-five sketch poems drawn from journeys across continents.
Design is not only technical.
It is ethical, collaborative, and deeply human.
If these pages inform a project, inspire a student, encourage debate, or simply offer a moment of reflection, then this work continues its purpose.