Environmental Characteristics of Children's Neighborhood Activities

Authors

  • Heng Zhang Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
  • Min-Jin Li Department of Architecture, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v2i3.187

Keywords:

Neighborhood Characteristics,, Children's Activities, Community Design, Street Pattern

Abstract

Environmental characteristics affecting children's physical abilities and health are worth understanding. The purpose of this study is to identify neighborhood environmental characteristics that influence children's activities and assess the friendliness of Taiwanese communities toward children's activities. Conditions are observed on the basis of five environmental characteristics: safety, amenity, accessibility, sociability, and attractiveness. The three communities studied have different combinations of street patterns and land use which, in turn, are conducive to different children's activities. These findings are valuable for community design aimed at promoting children's activities.

References

Binns, H. J., Forman, J. A., Karr, C. J., Osterhoudt, K., Paulson, J. A., Roberts, J. R., et al. (2009). The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children. Pediatrics, 123(6), 1591-1598. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0750

Buchecker, M. (2009). Withdrawal from the Local Public Place: Understanding the Process of Spatial Alienation. Landscape Research, 34(3), 279-297. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01426390902867968

de Vries, S. I., Hopman-Rock, M., Bakker, I., Hirasing, R. A., & van Mechelen, W. (2010). Built Environmental Correlates of Walking and Cycling in Dutch Urban Children: Results from the SPACE Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(5), 2309-2324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7052309

Holt, N. L., Cunningham, C. T., Sehn, Z. L., Spence, J. C., Newton, A. S., & Ball, G. D. C. (2009). Neighborhood physical activity opportunities for inner-city children and youth. Health & Place, 15(4), 1022-1028. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2009.04.002

Holt, N. L., Spence, J. C., Sehn, Z. L., & Cutumisu, N. (2008). Neighborhood and developmental differences in children’s perceptions of opportunities for play and physical activity. Health & Place, 14(1), 2-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.03.002

Howie, L. D., Lukacs, S. L., Pastor, P. N., Reuben, C. A., & Mendola, P. (2010). Participation in Activities Outside of School Hours in Relation to Problem Behavior and Social Skills in Middle Childhood. Journal of School Health, 80(3), 119-125. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2009.00475.x

Huang, Y. -J. (2006). The relationship between outdoor space forms and users’ place attachment. Unpublished master’s thesis, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan.

Hume, C., Sahnon, J., & Ball, K. (2007). Associations of children’s perceived neighborhood environments with walking and physical activity. American Journal of Health Promotion, 21(3), 201-207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4278/0890-1171-21.3.201

Hume, C., Salmon, J., & Ball, K. (2005). Children’s perceptions of their home and neighborhood environments, and their association with objectively measured physical activity: a qualitative and quantitative study. Health Education Research, 20(1), 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg095

Lin, T.-J. & Lin, Y.-J. (2008) Application of Agent-Based Simulation to Investigate Behavior on Playground. Taiwanese Journal of Leisure and Recreation.

Owens, P. E. (1997). Adolescence and the cultural landscape: Public policy, design decisions, and popular press reporting. Landscape and Urban Planning, 39(2-3), 153-166. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-2046(97)00052-2

Panter, J. R., Jones, A. P., van Sluijs, E. M. F., & Griffin, S. J. (2010a). Attitudes, social support and environmental perceptions as predictors of active commuting behaviour in school children. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 64(1), 41-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2009.086918

Puglisi, L. M., Okely, A. D., Pearson, P., & Vialle, W. (2010). Barriers to increasing physical activity and limiting small screen recreation among obese children. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 4(1), 33-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2009.07.004

Saelens, B. E., Sallis, J. F., Black, J. B., & Chen, D. (2003). Neighborhood-based differences in physical activity: An environment scale evaluation. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1552-1558. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.9.1552

Staempfli, M. B. (2009). Reintroducing Adventure Into Children’s Outdoor Play Environments. Environment and Behavior, 41(2), 268-280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916508315000

Timperio, A., Crawford, D., Telford, A., & Salmon, J. (2004). Perceptions about the local neighborhood and walking and cycling among children. Preventive Medicine, 38(1), 39-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.09.026

Valentine, G., & McKendrick, J. (1997). Children’s outdoor play: Exploring parental concerns about children’s safety and the changing nature of childhood. Geoforum, 28(2), 219-235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7185(97)00010-9

Veitch, J., Salmon, J., & Ball, K. (2008). Children’s active free play in local neighborhoods: a behavioral mapping study. Health Education Research, 23(5), 870-879. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cym074

Veugelers, P., Sithole, F., Zhang, S., & Muhajarine, N. (2008). Neighborhood characteristics in relation to diet, physical activity and overweight of Canadian children. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 3(3), 152-159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17477160801970278

Downloads

Published

2017-04-01

How to Cite

[1]
Zhang, H. and Li, M.-J. 2017. Environmental Characteristics of Children’s Neighborhood Activities. Asian Journal of Environment-Behaviour Studies. 2, 3 (Apr. 2017), 47–56. DOI:https://doi.org/10.21834/aje-bs.v2i3.187.

Similar Articles

<< < 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.