Currently, university students are facing high levels of stress and negativity. Creating a campus learning environment that promotes students’ physical and mental health and well-being has become a key focus of current research. There is now a wealth of research proving that the natural attributes of learning spaces are highly restorative for university students, both physically and mentally. In order to comprehensively clarify the characteristics of the library spatial environment that has a restorative effect on university students, this paper conducted semi-structured interviews with 50 university students and thematically analyzed the data obtained from these interviews. Ultimately, we identified five key themes: (1) Being away: students believe that studying alone is a way to escape social pressures, immersing themselves in their studies helps them forget everything around them, and the view from the window creates a sense of detachment; (2) Extent: students perceive the design of the library space as rich and orderly; (3) Fascination: many elements of the library spatial environment appeal to them and make them feel energized. The overall atmosphere motivates them to engage more actively in their learning; (4) Compatibility: the library spatial environment provides a variety of facilities that meet their learning needs, along with various types of spaces catering for different behaviors; and (5) Biophilia: Many interviewees mentioned the benefits of natural environments and timber, as well as their preference for spaces with a sufficient sense of enclosure and the ability to observe others. The first four themes were found to be closely related to the Attention Restorative Theory during the course of the study, while the last theme was mentioned by most of the students. The results of this study prove that library spaces can be described as restorative environments in the same way as natural environments, with both physical and mental restorative effects. Furthermore, the results of this study can also provide certain ideas for the design and renovation of the internal spatial environment of university libraries.

Public open spaces are important venues for children’s participation in outdoor activities and social life. This study performs a comparative and qualitative review of the tools that can be used to audit the environments of children-focused public open spaces. The analysis reviews 25 studies involving 11 tools for comparison. The results reveal that (1) the tools were developed in different fields; (2) the tools use two data resources, field investigation and geographic databases; (3) the tool dimensions are diverse, as are the number of items covered, and are generally related to four categories: surrounding environment and accessibility, activity and perceived safety, children’s sports and play opportunities, and aesthetic and comfort of the environment; (4) the reliability of most tools has been verified, with some validity still to be confirmed; (5) there are differences in tool users, settings, and aims. Among the tools, the CPAT and the EAPRS are the most comprehensive. Comparative analysis of the tools provides a reference for studies on children-focused public open spaces and for the development and improvement of corresponding tools in the future.

The school built environment is closely related to children’s health, and research on this topic is increasing. However, bibliometric analyses seeking to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research landscape and key themes in the field are lacking. This study comprehensively explored the global trends and research hotspots on the associations between school built environment and children’s health. We used a scientometric analysis to review the research progress. The temporal distribution of publications, scientific collaborations, research hotspots, research frontiers, and co-citations over the past 30 years were analyzed. The results show that the number of publications in this field rose significantly between 1987 and 2025, with research hotspots focusing on physical activity, performance, behavior, perception, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. Environmental themes related to children’s health fall into four main groups: the built environment related to children’s activities, intelligent learning environments, indoor environments and interiors, and natural environments. Health outcomes and measures that reflect physiological, psychological, cognitive, behavioral, and physical factors are discussed. This study provides a broad understanding of research issues and trends related to the school built environment and children’s health.