A direct observation method for auditing large urban centers using stratified sampling, mobile GIS technology and...

Area of Science:

• Urban planning
• Environmental psychology
• Public health research

Background:

• Growing research on neighborhood characteristics necessitates efficient direct observational field audits.
• A novel audit method and Systematic Social Observation Instrument (SSOI) are introduced for assessing neighborhood aesthetics in large urban areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel, efficient method for direct observational auditing of neighborhood aesthetics.
• To assess the reliability and efficiency of the Systematic Social Observation Instrument (SSOI) for large-scale urban audits.

Main Methods:

• Utilized spatial random sampling stratified by residential zoning.
• Incorporated mobile geographic information systems (GIS) technology and virtual environments.
• Validated reliability through multi-year comparisons and full neighborhood block audits, assessing interrater reliability.

Main Results:

• Four to five stratified random audit locations adequately characterize average neighborhood aesthetics.
• The SSOI demonstrated internal consistency and good to excellent interrater reliability.
• Neighborhood aesthetics positively correlate with socioeconomic status (SES) and physical activity, and negatively with Body Mass Index (BMI).

Conclusions:

• The proposed direct neighborhood auditing approach is sufficiently performant.
• This method offers significant financial and temporal efficiency for auditing large cities.