Associations of children's mental wellbeing and the urban form characteristics of their everyday places

Abstract

While neighborhood urban form has been linked to increased physical activity and health among children, its role in children's mental wellbeing (MWB) has been underexplored. This study addressed this research gap by asking two questions: whether and to what extent children's MWB is associated with the urban form characteristics of the places they liked and frequently used in their home-neighborhoods, and whether and how do children's gender and household income influence this association? Data were drawn from participatory mapping activities and surveys carried out with 217 children aged 9–12 years in four different neighborhoods in Ankara, Turkey. Findings show that the street network layout surrounding children's everyday places was significantly associated with their behavioral difficulties and average life satisfaction. Other urban form features, including land-use mix, retail and building density, and greenness were not significant correlates of MWB. However, when the models were analyzed separately for gender and parental income groups, it was observed that street network configurations around children's places had varying associations with their emotional and behavioral difficulties, as well as their average life satisfaction.