As an important carrier for children’s everyday activity engagement, the optimization of landscape elements in community public space has a positive influence on promoting children’s health. However, existing studies have paid limited attention to spatio-temporal behavioral differences between children and their guardians during outdoor activities, as well as to the potential mechanisms associated with variations in gender and age. The current study takes FCC Central City Community in Fangshan District, Beijing, as the research site. By integrating spatio-temporal behavior mapping (N = 988) with the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (N = 302), this study examines spatio-temporal behavioral patterns of children and their guardians across gender, age, activity types, and time periods. The following results were revealed. 1) The number of activities involving boys is roughly equivalent to that of girls; however, during the evening hours, the number of boys is significantly higher than that of girls; during this period, boys tend to engage in activities in edge area of the site, whereas girls are more likely to gather around play facilities. 2) Male guardians greatly participate in children’s activities during weekends or evenings; while female guardians’ involvement spans across various time periods of children’s daily routines. 3) Gender differences are closely related to gender roles shaped by social culture. Specifically, the gender of guardians determines the frequency and duration of their time with children, and also shapes children’s activity types and spatial preferences. Furthermore, this study reveals that transportation modes and travel motivations also influence children’s participation in outdoor activities. Through empirical research, therefore, this study aims to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for the design of child-friendly communities, fully considering the spatial characteristic needs of different genders and age groups, thereby enhancing the quality of children’s outdoor activities and guardian’s everyday engagement.
Xiong et al. (Thu,) studied this question.