Research on the Planning Strategies of Chinese Cold Region Cities Guided by Children's Mental Health Needs

Abstract

In recent years, the incidence of psychological and behavioral problems in children has been on the rise, emerging as a pivotal intervention target within the framework of the Healthy China Action. The development of children's mental health is shaped by a myriad of factors, with psychological biases arising during the developmental process potentially accumulating over time and evolving into mental health issues such as depression and autism. Various disciplinary fields intervene in the development of children's mental health through genetic factors, family dynamics, social surroundings, and material space. Among these, urban and rural planning disciplines optimize the material spatial environment through planning design and indicator regulation, mitigating or reducing biases in children's psychological development and thus preventing or ameliorating the psychological health risks they face. Existing studies indicate a substantial correlation between urban built environment factors and residents' mental health, exerting long-term, sustained, widespread, and subtle effects on mental well-being with the potential for optimization and improvement. Moreover, owing to their social vulnerability, health susceptibility, and highly malleable biological characteristics, children's mental health is particularly susceptible to the influence of urban built environments. The developmental trajectory of children's mental health possesses unique characteristics, and their utilization and experience of urban space differ from that of adults. Some studies have noted that certain material spatial elements relevant to adult mental health may not hold the same significance among children and adolescents. Therefore, in urban planning research addressing the psychological health needs of children, the following questions merit further elucidation: (1) What constitutes the specific connotation of children's psychological health, and what comprises psychological health at different age stages? (2) What are the characteristics of the effects of urban built environments on children's psychological health? (3) What potential impact pathways exist during this process? This article aims to explore the impact of the urban built environment on children's mental health across these three dimensions. Comprehensive interdisciplinary research seeks to clarify the concepts, processes, and compositions of children's mental health, along with the psychological health characteristics of children across all age groups; extract and identify elements and characteristic indicators of the urban built environment, analyzing their impact pathways from various perspectives on the mental health benefits for children.