Evaluation of the Acoustic Environment of Urban Recreational Trails

Abstract

The acoustic environment state of four recreational trails in Taichung was investigated. First, the basic forms, spatial proportions, characteristics of the trail interfaces, and sound sources of the recreational trail spaces were investigated. Second, sound pressure level measurement and a questionnaire survey were conducted in relation to the four trails. The measurements demonstrated that the sound levels of the four trail spaces are lower than the permissible exposure limit 90 dB(A) recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Meanwhile, the results of the factor analysis show that the perception of the acoustic environment of recreational trails has five dimensions: likability, intensity, communication, joyfulness, and richness. Compared with the acoustic environments of other cities, the perception of the acoustic environment of the recreational trails in this city was characterized by more dimensions and a more balanced structure.