Spatial Differentiation of Child-Friendliness in Residential Areas of Changsha City and Its Influencing Factors

Cities, especially megacities, are the destinations for new urban residents and young people in rapidly developing China. They are also the main areas where the child population is growing against a backdrop of population decline. The concept of child-friendly is gradually being noticed and valued. In this study, Changsha was chosen as an example of one of the first child-friendly construction demonstration cities in China based on the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) jointly launched by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in 1996. We constructed an evaluation index system for “child-friendly residential areas” using five aspects that meet the most basic needs of children: safety, accessibility, interest, growth, and sharing. The projection pursuit method, differentiation measure index, geographical detector, and other methods were used to calculate the child-friendliness of 1,131 residential communities in the urban area of Changsa, and the spatial differentiation characteristics of child-friendliness in these residential areas as well as their influencing factors were explored. The aim was to guide the planning and implementation of child-friendly cities in China at the residential space level, thereby forming a scientific and systematic local model. The following results were found: 1) The comprehensive child-friendliness of residential areas in Changsha varied significantly in different housing areas, showing an overall spatial pattern of “one center-multiple highland-low edge.” The central urban area in the eastern part of Changsha, the 2-kilometer area along the Xiangjiang River, and the newly developed urban subcenter had the highest child-friendliness, whereas the urban fringe areas and industrial zones were relatively less child-friendly. However, significant differences were observed within the central urban and old urban areas in the eastern part of Changsha, whereas new urban areas such as the Meixi Lake District showed a relatively balanced performance. 2) The spatial differentiation of each sub-dimension index of child-friendliness in residential areas had its own characteristics: safety was higher in the south and lower in the north; the distribution of interest was relatively balanced; the pattern of growth was obviously “high in the center and low at the edge”; and the sharing and accessibility aspects were positively correlated with the overall friendliness. The sub-dimensional indicators were closely related to the sequence of urban development, level of urban construction, supporting facilities of public services, and policy planning. 3) The child-friendliness of residential areas in Changsha was significantly influenced by both internal (e.g., housing prices, construction era, self-governance level, and property management grade) and external factors (e.g., demonstration effect and planning level). Additionally, an interaction enhancement effect among the factors was evident. High-quality housing and effective community management had a synergistic effect in improving child-friendliness. 4) Based on the analysis findings, the following policy suggestions are given: to build child-friendly living spaces, the top-level design of child-friendliness should be strengthened, child-friendly residential areas should be planned and constructed in accordance with local conditions, and the leading role of child-friendly demonstration communities must be enhanced.