Work

Street safety through children's eyes: integrating Photovoice and machine learning to uncover disparities in environmental safety perception between children and adults

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The relationship between the built environment and human safety perception has been widely studied, but existing research lacks a child-friendly perspective in exploring the impact mechanisms of street environmental elements on children's safety perception and their intergenerational differences with adults. The study employed "Photovoice" method to assess children's and adults' perceptions of urban street safety. By integrating dual-perspective street-view images with deep learning techniques, a large-scale evaluation of street safety perception was conducted. Additionally, random forest model was used to quantify the differences in the impact of various elements on children's and adults' safety perception. Results indicate that children generally perceive lower environmental safety compared with adults, with significant differences observed in spatial preferences, attention patterns, emotional response models, and the perception of environmental elements. The study finds that vegetation, water bodies, and sidewalks positively influence children's safety perception, whereas traffic-related elements such as motor vehicles and certain complex artificial structures evoke negative reactions. Children's safety perception shows a steady trend, while adults' perception is more complex. This study provides methodological innovations and practical pathways for child-friendly urban development, emphasizing the need to consider children's unique perceptual needs and promoting a transition toward age-inclusive urban spaces.

Source: Frontiers in Psychology

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1666290

Authors: Kaiqi Wang, Chengshuai Wu, Lisha Meng, Hualong Qiu, Qinghao Zhu, Donglei Wu

Institutions: Nanjing Forestry University, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Harbin Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Urban Design and Spatial Analysis

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801