Older Adults’ Perceived Visual Safety in Urban Pocket Parks: Environmental Problems and Design Implications from Four Cases in Nanjing, China

Urban pocket parks support older adults’ daily activities, yet unclear visual–spatial information can complicate movement. This multiple-case study examined perceived visual safety among older users of four pocket parks in Nanjing, China, using 386 questionnaires, interview notes from 45 participants, and field records. Predictor-specific de-overlap models, in which overlapping outcome items were removed, served as the primary association analyses. None of the six environmental-problem ratings was significant after Holm correction. In a secondary model using the exploratory 20-item composite, boundary ambiguity and interface conflict were associated with lower values of the exploratory 20-item composite, although the outcome retained conceptually overlapping items. The preliminary questionnaire had a Cronbach’s α of 0.890, but parallel analysis supported four rather than five prespecified domains; visual comfort did not form a distinct factor, and the resulting 20-item composite was treated as exploratory. Mean values of the exploratory 20-item composite were higher in P1 and P2 than in P3 and P4. Interview and field evidence linked reported difficulties to routes, boundaries, level transitions, obstructed sightlines, and movement–activity interfaces. The findings locate perceived visual-safety problems at specific spatial decision points and suggest potential renewal priorities, including clearer route cues, more legible boundaries and level changes, unobstructed sightlines, and clearer organization of walking and activity areas.