Impact of social and environmental factors on child safety in gated vs. conventional areas

Abstract

Gated communities are perceived as safer for children, yet they still raise concerns among parents regarding safety, security measures, play areas, and social cohesion. Developing a truly child-friendly environment requires creating safe and well-maintained spaces, but empirical research on these issues remains limited. This study investigates factors influencing parents’ perceptions of child safety, focusing on social cohesion, disorder, territoriality, and natural surveillance in both gated and conventional communities. Structured interviews were conducted with 118 residents from Al-Mafraq, Jordan, comparing perceptions in a gated community and a conventional district. The methodology combined quantitative analysis of survey data with qualitative insights from interviews. The results revealed that perceived social cohesion and disorder significantly affect parents’ perceptions of child safety in both types of communities (p < 0.05). Conversely, territoriality showed no significant relationship (p > 0.05), while natural surveillance significantly influenced perceptions in conventional communities but not in gated communities (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of social and environmental factors in shaping safety perceptions and highlight the need for urban planning strategies to enhance child safety across different community settings.