U.S. Funds Construction of 'Kitty City'--'Humane Metropolis' for Cats
U.S. Funds Construction of 'Kitty City'--'Humane Metropolis' for Cats
March 14, 2013
By Dan Joseph
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The National Endowment for the Arts has approved a grant of $10,000 to Flux Factory Inc., a non-profit art organization in Long Island New York. Part of the grant will be used to build "Kitty City" - a city for cats.
According to Flux Factory's Webpage "Artists and city planners will collaborate with elementary schools students to design and build a humane metropolis fit for its kitten citizens"
Planners will design a city structure with parks, "water, transportation and sanitation systems," "map out housing options" and "commercial and cultural districts" and ensure that there is "there's plenty [of] fresh and healthy food" for the urban felines.The city's designers will then put Kitty City through a bureaucratic process, having to meet self-imposed "strict zoning standards." The final city will then need to be "..approved by committees and review boards." The city will then be opened, live kittens will be inserted as residents who will then be available for adoption.
According to the Flux Factory webpage, "Kitty City is an inter-generational experiment in collaboration and pedagogy, designed to encourage shared decision-making power and challenge the way we think about the urban environment."
To some, Kitty City may seem similar to Animal Planets annual Puppy Bowl special in which Puppy's are put in a small stadium with a referee and then adopted by viewers. Unlike Kitty City, however, Puppy Bowl receives no taxpayer money.
Speaking to CNSNews.com, Flux Factory's Residency Director, Douglas Paulson, who is in charge of the Kitty City project explained why Kitty City was a good use of taxpayer money.
"It's important to explore the way that people of different generations can collaborate together," said Paulson. "Especially in a place like New York City, where a lot of the decisions that are made on a city planning level can be really opaque. I think it's really important to introduce kids into that process in terms of engaging the city planning process.
Things like civic engagements, intergenerational collaboration, providing that kind of place for constructive play is really critical for students. I don't think that students get that in school. And I don't think that a lot of parents--especially if you're living in a cramped New York City Apartment--necessarily have the opportunity to build stuff with kids. What this project does is speak to a need that isn't often met."
Kitty City is scheduled to open in May of this year.
See more "Right Views, Right Now."
U.S. Funds Construction of 'Kitty City'--'Humane Metropolis' for Cats | CNS News
