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Review
. 2025 Sep 10.
doi: 10.1007/s11524-025-01003-9. Online ahead of print.

Measuring Street Built Environments for Children's Use: A Systematic Review of Measurement Tools

Xiu Cao  1   2 , Xue Meng  3   4 , Haoyu Zhang  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Measuring Street Built Environments for Children's Use: A Systematic Review of Measurement Tools

Xiu Cao et al. J Urban Health. .

Abstract

Street-level environments play a vital role in children's development by promoting their physical activity, cognitive growth, and overall development. This study systematically reviews the measurement tools available to assess street environments according to children's needs. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA-COSMIN guidelines. Five databases were searched-Science, PubMed, EBSCO, PsycINFO, and Scopus-and gray Literature was identified using Google Scholar. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were formulated to screen the retrieved articles. The studies included were assessed for risk of bias using the COSMIN RoB checklist. A total of 25 assessment tools were included. The characteristics and measurement properties of these tools are described in two main categories: audit tools and questionnaires. The elements of street built environments addressed in the tools were reflected in five domains: convenience, functionality, safety, aesthetics, and overall perception. For future research, recommendations for tool improvement are proposed, involving participant inclusion and methodological strategies, tool selection, environmental domains, and technological applications in measurement tools. These findings highlight the importance of focusing on children's unique needs when using street environment assessment tools. Future tools should integrate urban big data and computer vision technologies to support the development of child-friendly street environments.

Keywords: Assessment; Audit tools; Built environment; Child; Street; Systematic review.

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