Health Perspectives on the Impact of Historic Neighborhood Street Environments on Children’s Activities

Abstract

As street space is the most accessible outdoor area for kids, safeguarding their rights and interests on the streets is paramount for fostering kid-friendly communities. However, due to the absence of public space and inadequate security, the streets in historic neighborhoods are unsuitable for kids’ activities. To uncover the crucial influence of the street environment on children’s physical activity and Body Mass Index (BMI) health, we conducted a questionnaire survey for children aged 6–12 residing in the Xi’an Ming Dynasty City Wall Historical and Cultural Neighborhood (XMDN) and collected 343 valid responses. The analysis delved into children’s BMI statuses, their willingness to engage in street activities (WAS), the frequency (AF), duration (AD), and types (AT) of these activities, as well as their satisfaction with the street environment (SE). Using binary logit and linear regression models, we specifically examined the relationships between children’s BMI health, WAS, AT, AF, AD, and SE satisfaction. The key findings emphasize children’s inherent desire to be active on the streets. Based on the research findings, we suggest reducing traffic speed and widening sidewalks to make children’s street activities safer, optimizing street greening to improve the comfort of children’s activities, and enriching commercial activities on the street to create a fun atmosphere. These measures will collectively increase the duration and frequency of their outdoor activities and contribute to the overall improvement of children’s health and well-being.

1. Introduction

The rapid urbanization and motorization in China have led to an alarming trend of increasing health issues among urban children [1], particularly low physical fitness and obesity. The Eighth National Survey on the Physical Fitness and Health Status of Students was conducted by China’s Ministry of Education in 2021. The survey shows that out of all Chinese students aged 6 to 22 years old, only 23.8% meet the physical fitness standards. However, at the same time, the survey also indicates that the rates of overweight and obesity among these students are continuously increasing [2]. One of the main reasons contributing to these health issues is the lack of outdoor activities among children. This not only worsens the problem of overweight and obesity but also has profound impacts on their physical and mental development [3]. Given that school-age children have a predictable daily routine and inevitably interact with street spaces during their commutes, streets become crucial outdoor spaces for children to engage in activities (Figure S1) [4]. The current SEs in China, however, are primarily designed with adult standards, neglecting the needs and activities of children. This results in a lack of appropriate spaces and facilities that can attract and facilitate children’s outdoor activities, thereby hindering their engagement in street-based activities [5]. Furthermore, China’s historic districts, characterized by high building densities, outdated facilities, and a scarcity of spaces tailored for children’s activities, pose additional challenges. The street infrastructure in these areas often fails to meet the requirements of children, and the overall built environments are undesirable, further compromising children’s health and opportunities for outdoor activities [6].

Existing studies reveal that children tend to spend considerable time in informal activity spaces like streets and highlight the importance of lively street spaces for fostering children’s outdoor activities [7]. Acciai Francesco et al. (2023) reported the potential of incremental enhancements to SEs near children’s homes in promoting physical activity (PA). Even subtle modifications to basic facilities, such as sidewalk infrastructure, gradients, and pavement quality, can positively promote children’s PA [8]. In response, cities like Denver have implemented programs such as Safe Routes to School to cater to children’s active commuting needs [9]. In China, some studies focusing on children’s needs and environmental safeguards introduce a framework encompassing dimensions of safety, diversity, positivity, and realism to evaluate child-friendly community streets [10]. Furthermore, in some countries, street design uses a health-oriented approach, and pertinent medical studies have demonstrated that natural landscapes positively impact patient recovery. For instance, enhancing the number of verdant, healthy spaces in certain streets and integrating natural elements can mitigate the risk of various human illnesses and enhance the mental well-being of residents. Nonetheless, the concept of healthy street design encompasses a broader perspective, often favoring adults, and there remains room for improvement in terms of focusing on children’s needs [11,12]. Despite various cities having tried to develop child-friendly streets, there remain gaps in grasping the connections of SEs and children’s PA on the streets, which may cause current child-friendly street designs to overlook some essential elements. This highlights the necessity for further research to explore these connections and guide the design of SEs that better support children’s health and well-being.

In 2020, the Center for Global Urban Design Initiatives released “Designing Streets for Children”, a groundbreaking publication that set a new standard for urban street design. The publication outlines benchmarks aimed at transforming streets that are currently not child-friendly. Furthermore, it addresses the unique challenges that children and their caregivers face while navigating urban streets [13]. Key improvement strategies outlined in this document involve adopting a child’s-eye-view approach, designing street amenities and public facilities to cater to children’s proportions, and placing children’s interests and needs at the forefront of street design considerations. Conversely, the 2020 Xi’an Street Design Guidelines, while emphasizing green infrastructure, traffic optimization, streetscapes, facade renovations, slow-moving zones, low-carbon initiatives, illegal structure removal, interactive spaces, and living services, notably omit any mention of design considerations for children [5]. This oversight has contributed to the proliferation of unsuitable SEs for children. The Xi’an Ming Dynasty City Wall Historical and Cultural Neighborhood (XMDN) stands as a renowned emblem of Xi’an’s profound historical and cultural legacy. It not only mirrors the city’s extensive historical narrative but also houses a large number of old communities and historic streets, where many residents still reside (Figure 1). Consequently, XMDN presents a prime opportunity to explore and implement child-friendly street design principles, ensuring that the city’s historic charm harmoniously coexists with modern, child-friendly urban planning.

In this study, we aimed to rectify the oversight of children’s perspectives in street design by conducting a focused case study in XMDN. A targeted questionnaire survey was conducted on children in the area to collect the data needed for analysis. Based on this, we first recognized the characteristics of children’s BMI status and their engagement in street-based activities, alongside their satisfaction with the SE. Then, we examined the relationships between children’s BMI health, PA, and SE satisfaction. The ultimate goal was to identify the key SE factors that influence children’s BMI health and PA, thereby providing valuable references and implications for child-friendly street design in Xi’an and similar historic districts.

2. Research Material

2.1. Research Indicator

2.1.1. Dependent Variables

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that children should engage in at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily [14]. Children’s street-based activities can be characterized by their willingness to engage in street activities (WAS), the frequency (AF), duration (AD), and types (AT) of these activities [15,16,17]. Furthermore, PA in children is considered a crucial factor in promoting their overall health, particularly regarding body fat levels [18]. In this study, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was utilized as a measure of children’s health. Consequently, the BMI, as well as AT, WAS, AD, and AF, were included as dependent variables in the analysis. This study delves into children’s WAS, assessing whether their AT is vigorous activity (VA) or moderate activity (MA). Furthermore, it examines the duration and frequency of both AT in relation to the specific type of activity, providing a comprehensive analysis of children’s activities. The specifics of the indicators used in this study are comprehensively outlined in

Table 1. The main variables including in the analysis.

Variables	Factors	Description
Children’s health	BMI 1	children’s weight (kg)/[height (m)]2
Children’s activity	WAS 2	Children’s willingness to engage in activities in the street
	AT 3	vigorous activity (VA) 4 and moderate activity (MA) 5
	AF	times per week that children engage in MA and VA on the street
	AD	hours per week of MA and VA on the streets by children
The satisfaction of SE 6	safety	Traffic volume, parking, traffic speed, sidewalk width, lighting system, turning radius, sidewalk continuity, social surveillance, street monitoring, pavement evenness
	comfort	Recreational facilities, size of facilities, odors and noise, greening, streetscapes
	interest	Commercial richness, children’s play space, spatial intelligibility, color of the street facade, fun guide logo
	convenience	Recreation space, daily activity space, public transportation

Notes: ¹ Children’s BMI variables: 0, normal; 1, overweight. ² WAS: 0, unwilling; 1, willing. ³ AT: 0, MA; 1, VA. ⁴ Vigorous activity: a physical activity that requires a great deal of exercise and causes shortness of breath and a significant increase in heart rate. For example, chasing and playing, ball games, etc. ⁵ Moderate activity: a physical activity that requires moderate exercise but does not cause shortness of breath or a significant increase in heart rate. For example, toy play, exploratory behavior, hanging out, etc. ⁶ When evaluating the various dimensions of SE satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being the least satisfactory and 5 being the most satisfactory).

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2.1.2. Independent Variables

Existing studies have emphasized the correlation between children’s PA and socio-economic characteristics, particularly gender [19], activity partners (AP), and parents’ education level, among others [20,21]. Additionally, the proximity of children to the activity location also influences their PA [22]. Consequently, this analysis incorporated variables such as the children’s gender, parents’ highest level of education, AP, local Huji, and distance from home to the activity location.

The primary independent variables of our interest are the SE factors, which are evaluated across four key dimensions: safety, comfort, interest, and convenience [23].

Safety: The paramount importance of safeguarding children’s activity spaces cannot be overstated, as it directly correlates with their ability to engage in street activities without hindrance. Existing research underscores vehicle interference, facility safety, and site security as vital factors influencing children’s participation in PA [24]. The pedestrian-friendly features and general safety are also positively correlated with children’s physical activity [25]. Consequently, the analysis incorporated meticulous considerations, such as the traffic volume on streets, the efficacy of lighting systems, and the smoothness of road surfaces, to ensure a comprehensive safety assessment.

Comfort: The comfort level of children’s activity spaces holds vital significance as it closely influences their tendency towards engaging in outdoor activities. Smart city initiatives, exemplified by the Blue–Green Infrastructure (BGI) in Cagliari, Italy, and the optimized spatial layout of residential areas in Umbwaji, have demonstrated their effectiveness in fostering children’s outdoor efforts [26,27]. At the same time, the types of green trees also have a significant impact on the thermal comfort of children’s activities [28]. Hence, the analysis encompassed indicators like the abundance of green landscapes and the adequacy of recreational facilities to evaluate the comfort quotient of these spaces.

Interest: The captivating nature of children’s spaces is instrumental in drawing their attention and fostering activity. Cities like Delft and Rotterdam in the Netherlands serve as testaments, having carefully crafted safe and alluring streetscapes, complete with engaging linear play zones and seamlessly integrated ‘outdoor play spaces’ within their urban fabric [29,30]. Consequently, the analysis embraced indicators such as the presence of child-friendly play areas, fun guide logos, and commercial richness.

Convenience: The accessibility of children’s activity venues is crucial as it directly affects the amount of children’s activities. Factors such as the service scope, supply capacity, and layout fairness of these venues play a significant role [31]. Thus, the accessibility of children’s recreation space, children’s daily life space, and public transportation were included in the analysis.

To achieve the research objective of this study, namely, exploring the impact of street environments on children’s activities and health and guiding child-friendly street design, a technical roadmap for this study has been constructed, as shown in Figure 2. The street environment encompasses four dimensions, namely safety, comfort, interest, and convenience. Children’s activities are categorized into four parts, starting from their willingness to engage in activities on the streets, proceeding to engage in different types of street activities, and finally, evaluating their activity level based on frequency and duration.

2.2. Research Data

Regarding the WHO classification of childhood, the children participating in this study ranged in age from 6 to 12 years [32]. The research drew upon data gathered from a questionnaire administered to the target children. The questionnaire included basic demographic characteristics, children’s BMI health, activity characteristics on the street, and their satisfaction with SEs in these four parts of data. The basic demographic characteristics covered the children’s age, gender, school attended, home address, household income, parents’ education attainment, and transportation mode to school. Children’s height and weight were collected to calculate their BMI health. The data on children’s activity characteristics included their WAS, AT, AF, and AD on the streets. The satisfaction of SEs required that children assess their satisfaction levels with regard to safety, comfort, convenience, and interest offered by the SE of the 15 min life circle near home.

Within the XMDN, five research blocks were evenly designated to ensure that their respective 15 min life circles collectively encompassed the entire historic district (Figure 3). The questionnaires were distributed by randomly intercepting children and their parents in nearby public activity areas such as parks, streets, and shops. Given that some children were too young to answer all questions, a portion of the questionnaires were completed by their parents. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to children and their parents, resulting in the collection of 343 valid responses.

The data reveal the need for improvement in children’s health and indicate a high rate of obesity among children. Furthermore, the data indicate that children’s willingness to engage in street activities increases with age. It is noteworthy that boys exhibit a higher willingness to participate in street activities compared to girls. In terms of selecting AP, more than two-thirds of children prefer to engage in street activities with a small group of friends, and their willingness is also relatively high. Children whose parents have a higher level of education display a greater willingness to be active, and their AF and AD are relatively higher compared to children whose parents have less education. This can likely be attributed to the fact that more educated parents tend to pay closer attention to their children’s activities and have a clearer understanding of the importance of physical activity for children. Children from local Huji exhibit a greater willingness to participate in street activities than children from non-local Huji, which may be attributed to their familiarity with the environment. For detailed survey results and specific characteristics of children’s activities, please refer to

Table 2. Sample data and characteristics of children’s street activities.

Attribute		Sample Size (%)	BMI	WAS (%)	AT (%)	AF (Times/ Week)	AD (Hours/ Week)
age (years old)	6–7	90 (27.3%)	16.26	34.4%	46.6%	3.77	3.52
	8–10	117 (35.62%)	18.17	45.2%	57.2%	5.47	5.13
	11–12	136 (37.08%)	19.34	52.2%	61.1%	5.37	5.21
gender	boy	197 (57.4%)	18.95	62.4%	69.5%	6.63	6.49
	girl	146 (42.6%)	17.02	21.9%	37.6%	2.77	2.37
traffic mode to school	walk	157 (45.7%)	18.44	45.8%	57.3%	4.98	4.73
	non-motorized vehicle	126 (36.7%)	17.69	40.4%	51.5%	4.42	4.35
	motor vehicles	60 (17.6%)	18.24	53.3%	61.6%	6.17	5.57
AP	friends	247 (72%)	18.17	43.3%	55.8%	5.04	4.76
	family	83 (24.2%)	17.88	48.1%	53.0%	4.92	4.74
	alone	13 (3.8%)	19.05	61.5%	76.9%	4.31	4.27
parents‘ education attainment	high school	84 (24.4%)	18.52	35.7%	58.3%	4.29	4.33
	undergraduate	214 (62.3%)	17.93	50.0%	56.5%	5.14	4.76
	master’s degree or above	45 (13.3%)	18.35	40.0%	48.8%	5.53	5.41
Local Huji	yes	221 (67.3%)	18.09	58.3%	70.1%	6.22	6.00
	no	122 (32.7%)	18.21	21.3%	30.3%	2.74	2.45
Total		343 (100%)	18.13	45.1%	68.7%	4.98	4.74

below. It is noteworthy that children with a BMI closer to the normal range tend to have a higher willingness to engage in physical activities compared to those who are overweight or obese. According to the correlation test between BMI and willingness to engage in physical activities, the correlation coefficient is 0.129, showing a significant level of p = 0.017. This indicates that there is a significant positive correlation between children’s BMI and their willingness to participate in physical activities.

2.3. Research Method

Given that the dependent variable represents the binary outcomes of children’s BMI, WAS, and AT, with values ranging from 0 to 1, we employed binary logit regression models to analyze the influences of children’s socio-economic attributes and SE factors on children’s BMI, WAS, and AT, respectively. The specific model formulation is outlined as follows:

$$\ln ({\displaystyle \frac{Pi}{1-Pi}})=\alpha +{\displaystyle \sum BjXj+\epsilon }$$

formulas: $Pi$ is the probability of the dependent variable; $Yi=1$, in this study, identifies three variables: the probability of a child being overweight (the value of children’s BMI is 1), the probability of children’s willingness to engage in outdoor activities on the street (the value of children’s WAS is 1), and the probability of children participating in VA (the value of children’s AT is 1); the independent variable $Xj$ is the various factors affecting the children’s BMI, WAS, and AT; $Bj$ is the regression coefficient of the independent variable $Xj$; $\epsilon$ represents the error term.

As the AF and AD of VA and MA are continuous dependent variables, we estimated a multivariate linear regression to analyze the influences of children’s socio-economic attributes and SE factors on children’s AF and AD of VA and MA, respectively. This method facilitated a comprehensive examination of the relationship between these variables, enabling us to pinpoint the significant elements that affect children’s VA and MA frequency and duration. The specific model formulation is as follows:

$$Y=b_0+b_1{X}_1+b_2{X}_2+\cdots +b_K{X}_j$$

formulas: The independent variable $X$ comprises a range of factors that influence AF and AD in children’s street activities, including socio-economic attributes and SE. The dependent variable $Y$ represents children’s VA and MA frequency and duration.

3. Children’s Activities on Streets

3.1. The Characteristics of Children’s Activities on Streets

3.1.1. Children’s BMI, WAS, and AT

The survey sample reveals that only 66.5% of children have a BMI within the healthy range, while over 25.1% are obese and 8.4% are underweight. This underscores the urgent need for improvement in children’s physical health, particularly given the high prevalence of obesity. Encouragingly, children demonstrate a relatively strong willingness to engage in street activities, with nearly 75% expressing a desire to do so (Figure S2). In terms of AT being undertaken, VA dominates, accounting for 68.7% of all street activities, while MA comprises only 31.3% of children’s primary street-based pursuits. The AF and AD of children’s street activities can be improved. Specifically, as children grow older, their AF and AD increase. Notably, boys exhibit a significantly higher AF and AD compared to girls. Children with highly educated parents also demonstrate a higher AF and AD. Additionally, children with local Huji exhibit a higher AF and AD. Please refer to Table 2 for detailed information.

3.1.2. Children’s AF and AD on Streets

The AF was primarily distributed between 1–2 times/week and 3–4 times/week. They generally engaged in VA more frequently than MA. The percentages of children who did not engage in VA and MA on the street were 26.8% and 34.4%, respectively. The percentage of children engaging in VA and MA with a frequency of 3–4 times/week was higher, while the percentage of children engaging in activities with a frequency of more than 3–4 times/week was decreasing. The AD was mainly distributed between 1–2 h/week and 3–4 h/week. Children generally engaged in VA on the street for a longer period of time than MA. The proportion of children doing VA and MA for 3–4 h/week was high, 24.1% and 23.8%, respectively. However, the proportion of children doing more than 3–4 h/week was decreasing (Figure 4).

3.2. Children’s Satisfaction of SE

In terms of satisfaction with the four elements, children demonstrated the highest overall satisfaction with street convenience (3.90), followed by safety (3.82), comfort (3.72), and interest (3.60). Specifically, with regard to safety, children exhibited satisfaction with factors such as street lighting systems, street monitoring, turning radiuses, social surveillance, and pavement evenness, all of which had a mean value of satisfaction higher than 3.82. However, satisfaction with the number of street parking was the lowest, at 3.5, with a mean value of satisfaction lower than the average. In the aspect of comfort, children conveyed dissatisfaction with the size of street facilities, noise and odors, and recreational facilities, all of which possessed a mean value of satisfaction lower than 3.72. In the interest dimension, children expressed high satisfaction with the commercial richness (3.9), yet satisfaction with fun guide logos and spatial intelligibility had a mean value lower than 3.6. Lastly, concerning the convenience dimension, satisfaction with recreational space was low, while satisfaction with daily activity space and public transportation had a mean value of satisfaction higher than the average. Therefore, to effectively improve children’s satisfaction with the streets, improvements should be made primarily to the elements with low current satisfaction levels. Among the safety factors, traffic volume, traffic speed, and parking need to be prioritized for enhancement. For comfort, attention should be paid to odor and noise reduction, as well as recreational facilities. In terms of interest, fun guide logos and spatial intelligibility are areas that require improvement. Lastly, among the convenience factors, recreation facilities show the lowest satisfaction levels (Figure 5).

4. Results

4.1. Relationships between Children’s BMI, WAS, AT, and SE

A binary logit model was employed to delve into the correlations between children’s BMI, WAS, AT, socio-economic attributes, and satisfaction with the SEs, respectively. During the model estimation process, environmental factors with insignificant relationships were gradually eliminated, and the final model results are shown in

Table 3. The relationship between children’s activities, health, and SE.

Explanatory Variable		BMI		WAS		AT
		Coefficient	Marginal Effect	Coefficient	Marginal Effect	Coefficient	Marginal Effect
socio-economic property	Parents’ education	−0.648 **	−0.049 **			−0.636 **	−0.075 **
	Local Huji			1.489 ***	0.106 ***
	Child gender
	AP
	Distance to activity location
safety	Traffic volume
	Parking
	Traffic speed	−0.505 *	−0.038 *	0.763 ***	0.054 ***
	Sidewalk width					0.473 **	0.056 **
	Lighting system			0.624 *	0.044 *
	Turning radius
	Sidewalk continuity
	Social surveillance			0.906 ***	0.064 ***	0.360 *	0.043 *
	Street monitoring	−0.648 **	−0.049 **
	Pavement Evenness	0.456 *	0.035 *
comfort	Recreational facilities	−0.661 **	−0.050 **	0.832 ***	0.032 ***
	Size of facilities	0.654 **	0.050 **
	Odor and noise	−0.491 **	−0.037 **			0.456 **	0.054 ***
	Greening	−0.515 *	−0.039 *
	Streetscape					0.476 **	0.056 **
interest	Commercial richness			0.483 *	0.034 *
	Children’s play space
	Facade color matching
	Spatial intelligibility
	Fun guide logo	−0.425 *	−0.032 *	0.583 **	0.041 **
convenience	Public transportation			0.677 **	0.048 **
	Recreation space	−0.474 *	−0.036 *
	Daily activity space			0.646 *	0.046 **	0.427 **	0.051 **
chi-square value		215.045 ***		314.759 ***		215.682 ***
predictive accuracy		89.21%		89.50%		80.76%

Note: *, p < 0.1; **, p < 0.05; ***, p < 0.01. Children’s health BMI variables: 0, normal; 1, overweight. WAS: 0, unwilling; 1, willing. AT variable: 0, MA; 1, VA.

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As parents become more educated and pay closer attention to the nutritional aspects of their children’s diets, the children’s overall health improves. Among the various street environment elements, a higher level of satisfaction with factors such as street speed, street monitoring, recreational facilities, odors, noise, greening, fun guide logo, and recreation space is positively correlated with healthier bodies among children. Controlling traffic speed and optimizing street monitoring enhances street safety, which, in turn, promotes increased street activity for children, positively impacting their physical health. Additionally, a combination of street safety and abundant greenery alleviates children’s nervousness and anxiety while they are outdoors, maintaining a cheerful disposition and contributing to their overall mental well-being. Notably, the most significant impact is observed in the area of recreational facilities, where a one-unit increase in satisfaction is linked to approximately 5% more children having a normal BMI. Interestingly, higher satisfaction with the size of recreational facilities is associated with higher rates of childhood obesity, possibly due to the facilities’ design promoting sedentary behavior, such as ample seating.

In contrast, children’s WAS is positively associated with socio-economic attributes of their local Huji, indicating that children who feel a stronger sense of belonging to their neighborhood are more likely to be active on the street. Specifically, a one-unit increase in local family Huji satisfaction is associated with a roughly 10% increase in the likelihood of children’s WAS. Implementing strategies such as reducing traffic speed, optimizing lighting systems, enhancing social surveillance, installing more recreational facilities, enriching commercial richness, installing fun guide logos, and increasing daily activity spaces within street environments can drastically elevate children’s satisfaction with these spaces and foster a greater willingness to engage in outdoor activities. Among these measures, social surveillance stands out as the most influential, with a one-unit increase in satisfaction leading to a 6.4% increase in children’s WAS. Ultimately, when it comes to the AT children engage in, parents with higher levels of education tend to be more inclined to involve their children in MA. Several environmental interventions can significantly contribute to promoting VA among children. These include widening sidewalks, enhancing social surveillance, optimizing street odor comfort, reducing noise levels, enriching the streetscape with vignettes, and improving children’s daily activity spaces. Notably, among these interventions, the streetscape and sidewalk width had the most profound effect. Specifically, a one-unit increase in satisfaction with the streetscape and sidewalk width was associated with approximately 5.6% of children demonstrating a higher tendency towards VA. In summary, when designing child-friendly streets, a comprehensive optimization of the street environment across four key aspects—safety, comfort, interest, and convenience is essential to enhancing children’s street activities and improving their overall health.

4.2. Relationships between Children’s AF, AD, and SE

A multiple linear regression model was employed to explore the links between children’s activity intensity (encompassing the frequency and duration of VA and MA), socio-economic attributes, and satisfaction with the SE. During the model estimation process, environmental factors with insignificant relationships were gradually eliminated, and the final model results are shown in

Table 4. The relationship between children’s activity intensity and SE.

Explanatory Variable		Frequency of VA	Duration of VA	Frequency of MA	Duration of MA
		Coefficient	Coefficient	Coefficient	Coefficient
Socio economic attributes	Parents’ education			0.084 **
	Local Huji	−0.087 **
	Child gender	−0.089 **
	AP
	Distance from home to activity location	0.075 **	0.086 **	0.116 ***
safety	Traffic volume
	Parking		0.138 ***		0.160 ***
	Traffic speed	0.105 **
	Sidewalk width	0.195 ***	0.173 ***
	Lighting system			0.214 ***	0.219 ***
	Turning radius
	Sidewalk continuity
	Social surveillance
	Street Monitoring
	Pavement Evenness				0.119 **
comfort	Recreational facilities
	Size of facilities		0.139 ***	0.197 ***	0.170 ***
	Odor and noise		0.118 **
	Greening	0.114 ***		0.149 ***
	Streetscape
interest	Commercial richness	0.097 **	0.134 ***		0.156 ***
	Children’s play space
	Facade color matching
	Spatial intelligibility
	Fun guide logo	0.221 ***	0.181 ***
convenience	Public transportation
	Recreation space	0.172 ***	0.117 **	0.217 ***
	Daily activity space
R2		0.615	0.555	0.406	0.351
F		F = 59.293	F = 51.987	F = 38.289	F = 36.466
D-W value		1.707	1.850	1.904	1.875

Note: * stands for p < 0.1, ** for p < 0.05, *** for p < 0.01.

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The frequency of children’s VA on the street is significantly influenced by their local Huji and gender, with local Huji children and boys engaging in more VA. By adopting the following measures: reducing the distance between children’s homes and activity locations, slowing down traffic speed, optimizing street turning radius, enhancing the quality of greenery, enriching commercial richness, installing fun guide logos for children, and expanding recreational spaces, we can significantly increase the frequency of children engaging in VA on the streets. Similarly, the duration of children’s on-street VA can also be significantly increased by reducing parking, optimizing turning radiuses, improving recreational facilities to accommodate children’s needs, enhancing street odors for pleasantness, reducing noise levels, enriching commercial richness, installing fun guide logos, and enriching children’s recreational spaces. Specifically, strategies tailored to historic districts characterized by high building densities can effectively increase the frequency and duration of children’s VA. These include reducing parking, enhancing the quality of greenery, reducing traffic speed, installing fun guide logos, and improving street odor and noise levels. By addressing these aspects, we can foster a more child-friendly environment.

When it comes to children’s MA on the street, the frequency of their engagement is notably linked to their parent’s education level. As the parents’ education level increases, children tend to participate in higher-frequency street MA. Additionally, the following factors can significantly increase the frequency of children’s MA: shortening the distance between their homes and activity location, ensuring the continuity of sidewalks, tailoring the size of public facilities to suit children’s needs, enhancing the quality of street greenery, and enriching recreational spaces for children. The measures that can significantly increase the duration of children’s MA include reducing street parking, maintaining the continuity of sidewalks, repairing pavement Evenness, expanding the size of public facilities to accommodate children, and diversifying commercial richness. In particular, strategies such as optimizing lighting systems, improving the size of facilities, and enhancing the quality of greenery can be effectively applied to areas with high building densities, like historic districts, thereby increasing the frequency and duration of children’s MA.

Furthermore, regarding institutional policies, it is imperative to integrate the concept of prioritizing children’s development into urban master plans and other relevant special plans, as well as advance the establishment of child-friendly construction programs to ensure that children’s needs are fully considered. Secondly, children’s perspectives should be reflected in planning and construction. The construction of some facilities should adhere to child-centered standards, optimizing the design of public spaces to ensure that public facilities are commensurate with children’s scales. Concurrently, it is essential to strengthen children’s participation mechanisms, enhance their awareness and capabilities, and encourage their involvement in community governance. For significant matters involving children, priority should be given to listening to the opinions of children and their guardians. Lastly, efforts should be intensified to promote awareness and support for child-friendly city construction through publicity and outreach, fostering a positive atmosphere conducive to such endeavors.

5. Conclusions and Outlook

Children, as a vulnerable segment of society, are often overlooked, underscoring the urgency to prioritize their healthy development. This study, addressing the declining trend of outdoor activities among children in recent years and the accompanying rise in obesity rates and other health concerns, delves into the characteristics of children’s street activities in the XMDN and their relationship with satisfaction towards the SE. Children in the area exhibit a strong desire for street activities, with nearly half expressing a preference for frequent participation near their homes, demonstrating a vibrant and active participation potential. Furthermore, the study establishes a significant link between the SEs and children’s BMI, WAS, AT, and intensity, emphasizing the pivotal role of enhancing the SEs in fostering children’s street activities, elevating their activity levels, and promoting overall health. Based on our examination of the relationship between SEs and children’s outdoor activities in historic districts, this study offers the following recommendations and strategies for optimizing SEs in such areas to promote children’s outdoor activities:

With safety as the top priority in children’s street activities, measures such as controlling traffic speed, widening sidewalks, installing fun guide logos, reducing noise, and enriching recreational spaces significantly boost children’s willingness to engage in more vigorous activities. Additionally, when designing child-friendly streets, it is crucial to incorporate community participation to strengthen children’s sense of belonging and involvement, as this approach enables the creation of street spaces that better align with their needs and interests through direct child participation. Furthermore, children’s direct involvement can promptly identify and address existing issues in street design, providing a feedback mechanism that is more responsive to their actual demands. Their participation also aids designers in accurately grasping design essentials by listening to children’s suggestions, ultimately leading to the development of more scientific, comprehensive, and vibrant street spaces.

Meanwhile, further improvements are needed in terms of the comfort of the street environment, with outdoor thermal comfort being a crucial consideration for children’s activities [33]. During the summer heat, overheating occurs in children’s playgrounds and sports fields due to heat exposure, significantly affecting the comfort of children’s outdoor activities. To ensure children’s activities and physical health, appropriate shading measures should be added to exposed playgrounds [34,35]. Secondly, the quality of greening should also be considered, with an increase in the planting of drought-tolerant plants to provide cool activity spaces for children. Children can also avoid high-temperature periods based on local temperature conditions and choose cooler times in the morning or evening for their activities (Figure S1). However, specific solutions need to be further considered based on local climatic conditions, children’s needs, and supply capabilities.

At present, some countries have achieved very successful cases in the design of child-friendly streets. For example, the Pearl District in Portland, USA, first proposed the design concept of “coexistence of children and streets”, providing a safe space for children to explore the streets through measures such as separating pedestrians from vehicles and speed limits. It emphasizes that children as a special group should be specially protected in the street environment. In London, England, the “urban playground” of Fen Court Pedestrian Street in Fen Court Pedestrian Street first adopted the Lego-inspired building block design concept, creating a vibrant and colorful street environment that promotes children’s health, physical development, and social skills. At the same time, Zhonghuan Hui Science and Technology Humanities District in Zhongguancun, Beijing, China, is a representative successful case of child-friendly street design in China. Through the construction of lighting runways, terrain playgrounds, botanical gardens for scientific education, and other initiatives, the area has been transformed into an open, safe, free, and artistic space for children’s street activities. There are both similarities and differences in the design cases of child-friendly streets in different countries. The common ground is that they all prioritize the safety of children, emphasize the versatility of space, and seamlessly integrate it into the surrounding environment. However, there are significant differences in specific implementation measures, design concepts, and focus directions. When designing child-friendly streets, it is necessary to adapt to local conditions and design solutions that meet local conditions based on actual conditions.

In the future, fostering children’s street activities and healthy growth will necessitate a multifaceted approach. This includes expanding the research scope to encompass a wider range of historic districts for more comprehensive and representative insights, deepening theoretical research to understand the intricate factors influencing children’s activities and their mechanisms, innovating technology applications like VR simulations and big data analysis to refine street designs, advocating for policy formulation that prioritizes child-friendly urban planning, and strengthening community engagement to foster societal support and awareness for creating healthier, safer, and more enjoyable outdoor spaces for children.