Comparative Review of Environmental Audit Tools for Public Open Spaces from the Perspective of Children’s Activity

Xue Meng and Mohan Wang ()
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Xue Meng: School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Mohan Wang: School of Architecture, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 20, 1-16

Abstract: Public open spaces are important venues for children’s participation in outdoor activities and social life. This study performs a comparative and qualitative review of the tools that can be used to audit the environments of children-focused public open spaces. The analysis reviews 25 studies involving 11 tools for comparison. The results reveal that (1) the tools were developed in different fields; (2) the tools use two data resources, field investigation and geographic databases; (3) the tool dimensions are diverse, as are the number of items covered, and are generally related to four categories: surrounding environment and accessibility, activity and perceived safety, children’s sports and play opportunities, and aesthetic and comfort of the environment; (4) the reliability of most tools has been verified, with some validity still to be confirmed; (5) there are differences in tool users, settings, and aims. Among the tools, the CPAT and the EAPRS are the most comprehensive. Comparative analysis of the tools provides a reference for studies on children-focused public open spaces and for the development and improvement of corresponding tools in the future.

Keywords: children; built environment; parks; play; physical activity; child-friendly environment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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