Soundscape evaluation of urban social spaces. A comparative study: Berlin-Granada

Abstract

To address the design and development of healthy built environments, noise pollution has to be taken into account, especially in Europe, where over 125 million people are affected by noise pollution from traffic every year. Since the release of the European Environmental Noise Directive in 2002, there has been a growing interest in protecting and planning quiet areas as a valid tool to reduce noise pollution. However, a common methodology to properly achieve this goal is still missing. This contribution tackles this challenge, by illustrating the implementation in Berlin and Granada of a novel participatory methodology grounded on the soundscape approach, the citizen science paradigm and a novel mobile application—the Hush City app. First, the theoretical background and methods applied are described; second, preliminary findings of the comparative assessment of “everyday quiet areas” in Berlin and Granada are illustrated. In conclusion, recommendations are provided to integrate this methodology in advanced urban planning.