Abstract
To help mitigate the adverse health impacts of environmental noise, European cities are recommended to identify urban quiet areas for preservation. Procedures for identifying urban quiet areas vary across cities and between countries, and little is known of the strength of the salutogenic (health-promoting) benefits they may provide. Taking a multi-site approach, this study examines the potential of three sites as urban quiet areas and their associated health benefits, particularly in relation to perceived restorative benefits. Across three cities in the United Kingdom, an urban garden, urban park, and an urban square had sound pressure levels measured. Responses from 151 visitors to these sites evaluated the place as quiet, calm, and tranquil, and assessed their experience of the place in terms of perceived sounds, its benefits, how it made them feel, and perceived restoration. Depending on the criteria used, the sites varied in their suitability as urban quiet areas, although all provided perceived health benefits. Relationships between sound levels (subjective and objective) and perceived restoration were not linear, with the type of sounds heard and other aspects of the place experience believed to affect the relationship. Building on this work, a future experimental approach based on the study sites is planned to manipulate the multiple variables involved. This will provide a clearer understanding of the relationship between urban quiet areas and perceived restorative benefits.
Highlights
The relationship between poor environmental acoustics, rising sound levels within urban environments, and its negative impacts on human health have long been documented [1], with theWorld Health Organization (WHO) concluding “there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population” [2] (p. 105)
Three cities were chosen across the UK as they vary in their architectural style, planning systems and potentially their sound sources
This study took a multi-site approach to explore the restorative and other self-reported health benefits of public urban spaces that could fall into the remit of a Candidate Quiet Area (CQA)
Summary
The relationship between poor environmental acoustics, rising sound levels within urban environments, and its negative impacts on human health have long been documented [1], with theWorld Health Organization (WHO) concluding “there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population” [2] (p. 105). The guidelines cover transportation noise (e.g., road, rail, air), wind turbine noise, and leisure noise (listening to music through headphones or at various venues). It explores their cognitive effects (annoyance, mental health, cognitive impairments), physical effects (cardiovascular and metabolic, sleep disturbances, hearing impairments, adverse birth outcomes) and impact on overall quality of life and wellbeing. Examination of environmental noise and its health impacts has predominantly been studied through exposure–response relationships (e.g., [4]). A slightly different approach to studying “noise” has developed, which offers opportunities for examining health impacts through less traditional means than quantified exposure–response relationships. Public Health 2019, 16, 1611; doi:10.3390/ijerph16091611 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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