Abstract
The concept of child-friendliness has appeared in numerous research studies concerning sustainability and the wellbeing of children. For this critical review of child-friendly environments (CFEs), an evaluation framework of CFEs has been developed, consisting of four principal experiential categories: sociality, wellness, development, and independence of children. Despite considerable research on CFEs since the middle of the twentieth century, there have been few evaluations of CFEs focusing on children’s experiences in relation to the physical environment. Through an exhaustive analysis of selected papers in this research, it was found that most papers have focused on the physical experiences of children, rarely mentioning the emotional experiences of children in relation to the physical environment. The environmental experiences of children are very critical for a balanced development in their emotional, physical, and intellectual comprehension. Therefore, research on CFEs should consider the balanced emotional, physical, and intellectual development of children. This research critically highlights the aspects of children’s experiences to be addressed in CFEs research, exploring valuable insights into the environmental cognition of children and their development. A better understanding of children and an interpretative analysis of their experiences will lead to adequately balanced CFEs, creating sustainable environments.
Highlights
Researchers have explored child-friendly environments (CFEs) from various perspectives over the past decades
After the contextual analysis of each article was completed, an evaluation framework of CFEs was developed, consisting of four principal categories: sociality, wellness, development, and independence of children. These categories were derived from the factors discussed in the selected CFE papers and included in the evaluation framework
Many researchers have defined CFEs as sustainable environments that contribute to multiple values in the world for all users, children
Summary
Researchers have explored child-friendly environments (CFEs) from various perspectives over the past decades. The reviews of CFEs and sustainable child development have been conducted by many researchers previously [3,4] These papers considered limited criteria for CFEs, focusing mainly on the physical and intellectual value of child development. These criteria are independent mobility, safety, accessibility, connectivity, participation, play, and health. Independent mobility, affordances, participation, and safety were the major concerns of numerous studies in relation to the physical environment. These are the influential factors for shaping CFEs according to adult criteria. This research suggests a need for further exploration of the criteria of CFEs from the perspective of children, considering the balanced emotional, physical, and intellectual development of children
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