| Title |
Outdoor Environment and Children Play in Early Residential Settlements : A Historical Analysis |
| Abstract |
A historical analysis was performed to investigate the residential outdoor environment and children's play behavior in the days before 1960s, when high-density, high-rise plans were introduced to the mainstream of housing development. A total of 149 image data were selected from the secondary historical data sources including early travel books, paintings collections, newspapers, and photo albums. Writings and articles were also collected that helped describe each image. A team of six investigators participated in a multi-step content analysis in analyzing both image and descriptive data in order to understand children's use of environmental properties and to identify relationships between environmental resources and play behavior. Some significant physical resources related to children's outdoor play were identified. Theoretical and practical lessons were compiled regarding children's outdoor behavior and environmental structure of early housing settlements. |