Soundscape Evaluation Research Articles

The effects of environmental sensitivity and noise sensitivity on soundscape evaluation

The perception of sound is a complex process that is influenced by not only the physical characteristics of the sound, but also individual characteristics of people. This study aimed to determine whether noise sensitivity and environmental sensitivity have a significant effect on people's soundscape evaluations, including sound source identification, perceived affective quality, and overall quality. Sixty participants aged 19–36 years were exposed to audiovisual stimuli derived from 10 commonly encountered urban scenes and assessed the soundscape quality. The study revealed that noise sensitivity did not significantly affect the evaluation of the soundscapes, whereas environmental sensitivity had a significant impact. Specifically, the full scale of environmental sensitivity had a significant effect on soundscape appropriateness, and the aesthetic sensitivity (AES) subscale of environmental sensitivity had a significant effect on perceived natural sound dominance, soundscape pleasantness, and overall impressions. The physical sensitivity (PHS) subscale significantly affected soundscape pleasantness, overall impressions, and perceived loudness. Moreover, an interaction effect between site and environmental sensitivity was observed in the evaluation of soundscape pleasantness and overall impressions; in sites dominated by natural environments, individuals with higher environmental sensitivity tended to perceive higher levels of soundscape pleasantness. Conversely, in sites dominated by built environments, individuals with higher environmental sensitivity tended to perceive lower levels of soundscape pleasantness. Similar patterns were observed in the overall impression evaluations. These findings can help policymakers and urban planning practitioners to recognise the diverse needs of various people and highlight the need for targeted soundscape design based on user sensitivity.

Crossing the linguistic causeway: Ethnonational differences on soundscape attributes in Bahasa Melayu

Despite being neighbouring countries and sharing the language of Bahasa Melayu (ISO 639-3: ▪), cultural and language education policy differences between Singapore and Malaysia led to differences in the translation of the “annoying” perceived affective quality (PAQ) attribute from English (ISO 639-3: ▪) to ▪. This study expands upon the translation of the PAQ attributes from ▪ to ▪ in Stage 1 of the Soundscapes Attributes Translation Project (SATP) initiative, and presents the findings of Stage 2 listening tests that investigated ethnonational differences in the translated ▪ PAQ attributes and explored their circumplexity. A cross-cultural listening test was conducted with 100 ▪ speakers from Malaysia and Singapore using the common SATP protocol. The analysis revealed that Malaysian participants from non-native ethnicities (▪) showed PAQ perceptions more similar to Singapore (▪) participants than native ethnic Malays (▪) in Malaysia. Differences between Singapore and Malaysian groups were primarily observed in stimuli related to water features, reflecting cultural and geographical variations. Besides variations in water source-dominant stimuli perception, disparities between ▪ and ▪ could be mainly attributed to ▪ scores. The findings also suggest that the adoption of region-specific translations, such as ▪ in Singapore and ▪ in Malaysia, adequately addressed differences in the ▪ attribute, since significant differences were observed in one or fewer stimuli across ethnonational groups. The circumplexity analysis indicated that the quasi-circumplex model better fit the data compared to the assumed equal angle quasi-circumplex model in ISO/TS 12913-3, although deviations were observed possibly due to respondents' unfamiliarity with the United Kingdom-centric context of the stimulus dataset. Furthermore, the alignment between Stage 2 listening tests and quantitative evaluation of attributes in Stage 1 revealed biases in the ▪–▪ dimension across ethnonational groups. This study provides insights into the perception of PAQ attributes in cross-cultural and cross-national contexts, facilitating the culturally appropriate adoption of translated PAQ attributes in soundscape evaluation.

The application of the Psychoacoustics Perception Scale (PPS) in the measurement of soundscape with low-frequency traffic noise

In urban environments, road traffic noise is a significant source of low-frequency sounds. Recent research has revealed that the way humans perceive sounds is mainly determined by three perceptual dimensions, namely Evaluation (E), Potency (P), and Activity (A). The Psychoacoustics Perception Scale (PPS) is a valid and reliable psychometric tool that can be used to quantitatively evaluate the human general judgment (E), sensitivity to the magnitude (P), and sensation of the temporal and spectral compositions of sounds (A), respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the help of the PPS in assessing the urban environments with low-frequency road traffic noise. The assessments of the urban environments are in consist of the objective measurement of acoustic and psychoacoustic metrics and the subjective measurement of using the PPS. The statistical analysis results showed that the scores of PPS were the significant predictors of the soundscape gradings of the road traffic noise. The application of the PPS will be a holistic approach to improve the measurement, analysis, and evaluation of soundscape with low-frequency traffic noise to the current standards.

Effect of the Visual Landscape and Soundscape Factors on Attention Restoration in the Public Space of Old Residential Areas by VR

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between the visual landscape and soundscape factors of the public spaces in old residential areas and their attention restoration benefits for residents and to determine the main influencing factors. In this paper, the public spaces of six typical old residential areas in Tianjin were selected as the research object, and the restorative benefits of the respondents were analyzed through virtual reality environment, subjective evaluation, and attention testing methods. The results showed that the attention restoration benefits of the central square in the old residential area were better than those of the public space along the street. Second, greenery satisfaction, environmental cleanliness, architectural aesthetics, sky visibility, and soundscape evaluation are all significantly positively correlated with the attention restoration level. Finally, a "visual landscape and soundscape perception evaluation-attention restoration level" structural equation model was constructed. According to the model, both the visual landscape factors and soundscape evaluation factors in old residential areas had a direct positive impact on the attention restoration level, with a greater impact exerted by visual landscape factors than by soundscape evaluation factors. The findings from this study can provide significant information for the renewal of old residential areas.

Cross-cultural comparison of soundscape evaluation between Japanese and Vietnamese using standardized attributes

The Soundscape Attributes Translation Project (SATP) was initiated to translate English standardized perceptual attributes of the ISO/TS 12913-2:2018 into various languages. This paper outlines the translation and utilization of Vietnamese and Japanese attributes in standardized listening experiments and evaluates their effectiveness in assessing specific sound environments in Vietnam and Japan. The study was conducted in two parts: (1) a listening evaluation experiment, in which Vietnamese and Japanese participants listened to 27 binaural recordings provided by the SATP project to examine the differences in subjective evaluations of the same sound environment between Japanese and Vietnamese; and (2) a survey on Vietnamese and Japanese perceptions of sound environments in public spaces using the standardized attributes and scales proposed by the SATP project. For part 2, twelve study sites were selected in Japan and Vietnam based on their distinct landscape and acoustic characteristics. The research methodology involved analyzing physical indices of each soundscape context from the recording data and subjective evaluation experiments. The results revealed cultural differences in soundscape evaluations between Japanese and Vietnamese, which could potentially impact people's perception of soundscapes. These findings provide a basis for proposing soundscape designs that align with the values and perceptions of residents in specific environments.

Bir İletişim Aracı Olarak Kentsel Ses Manzarası

The article highlights selected themes related to the urban soundscape as a meaningful system of messages. It serves to introduce the topic of the urban soundscape (audiosphere) and its research, primarily from a social science perspective referring to so-called sensuous urbanism and some classic researchers such as R. Murray Schafer and Kevin Lynch. Than it refers to the pilot study of social aspects of the urban audiosphere of Bialystok (Poland), conducted by researchers from the Institute of Sociology at the University of Bialystok in years 2022-2023. The aforementioned research tested the possibilities of using sound walks as a method. The article elaborates on advantages and disadvantages of such method combined with more or less structured ways of evaluation of soundscape. Finally, the article focuses on significant differences in individual interpretations of the urban soundscape among the participants of the sound walks and elaborates on the role of silence and noise as meaningful categories.

Combined Effects of the Thermal-Acoustic Environment on Subjective Evaluations in Urban Park Based on Sensory-Walking

Studying the impact of various factors on environmental perception is crucial because humans live in an environment where these factors interact and blend. The thermal-acoustic environment is the major factor that affects the overall perception of urban parks. This study focuses on urban parks in the subtropical region, with Xihu Park in Fuzhou, China, as the research area. Through measurements and questionnaires, this study explores the effects of the thermal-acoustic environment in urban parks on subjective evaluation (thermal assessment, acoustic assessment, and overall environmental assessment). The results reveal that: (1) a higher temperature significantly increases the sensation of heat and lowers thermal comfort, heat acceptance, and overall thermal environment evaluation scores. The type of sound source has a significant positive impact on thermal assessment, and the higher the ranking of the sound source type, the greater its positive impact on thermal assessment. (2) Regarding acoustic evaluation, higher sound pressure level is associated with more negative subjective ratings of loudness, harshness, intensity, and excitement. In contrast, positive sound sources can enhance comfort, preference, disorder, coordination, and overall soundscape evaluation. Additionally, temperature increases tend to result in more negative harshness, intensity, and coordination ratings. The interaction between temperature and sound pressure level also significantly affects subjective loudness, harshness, and intensity. (3) Overall environmental evaluation is also affected by temperature, with increasing temperatures leading to decreased comfort and satisfaction while increasing irritation. High sound pressure environments result in worse overall irritation ratings, while positive sound sources can significantly enhance overall comfort, irritation, and satisfaction ratings. Furthermore, the interaction between temperature and sound pressure level significantly impacts overall irritation and satisfaction ratings. These findings are significant for managing and improving the park’s thermal environment and soundscape, providing a practical framework for landscape architects.

The assessment of soundscape quality in historic urban parks: A case study of El-Goli Park of Tabriz, Iran

The preservation of historic sites requires a multisensory approach, in which sound plays an important role. A good acoustic environment could contribute to the aesthetic, ecological, and cultural improvement of historic sites, as well as increase visitor attendance with their surroundings. Due to the unique spatial qualities and social-cultural distinctions of these locations, it seems essential to consider the inherent differences in their soundscapes. The hypothesis of this study is to assess the interrelationships between soundscape evaluations and environmental indicators including visual quality and overall impression as well as the related semantic attributes. The historic El-Goli Park of Tabriz, which is in a semi-natural environment, was evaluated as the field study. Field measurements at sampled locations were conducted to record sound pressure levels (SPL) to generate sound maps. At the same time, a questionnaire survey was used for the subjective assessment of soundscape quality. The main results are as follows: 1. Natural sounds (birds and water) and human sounds (voices and footsteps) are the sounds primarily perceived as dominant and pleasant. 2. For a selected location, the higher the percentage of visitors reporting a pleasant sound (mainly natural sounds), the higher the reported soundscape quality, visual quality, and overall impression. 3. Among the social/demographic/behavioral factors considered, “age” and “time period during a day of visit” were associated with soundscape perception. These results may be helpful for the soundscape of historic city parks and will offer helpful insights into landscape policy and regional acoustic environment planning.

Soundscape evaluation based on participatory design

The traditional soundscape assessment method assesses people’s perception of a selected acoustic environment using questionnaires or interviews. However, fewer studies have been done to investigate other methods for methodological triangulation. This research aims to propose an interactive approach for soundscape assessment research based on participatory design and apply this method to study the relationship between audio-visual elements and soundscape perceptions in residential areas. The experiment was conducted in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Thirty-two participants were invited to interactively create the audio-visual environment, which they thought was the most eventful or vibrant in outdoor and indoor contexts. The result indicated that the descriptor “eventfulness” could be related to “vibrancy” since participants selected similar audio-visual elements for these two descriptors except for building and greenery. Moreover, participants preferred to model open visual environments and more greenery in vibrant scenes, while they preferred semi-closed buildings and less greenery in eventful scenes. Besides, the result revealed that people in the indoor context might be more sensitive to traffic sound than in the outdoor context. Those results were consistent with those of traditional assessment methods, which means this method may be applied for a methodological triangulation in soundscape evaluation.

Fast noise mapping: A machine learning approach for predicting traffic noise indicators

Noise mapping has become a popular tool for assessing the impact of traffic noise on human health and wellbeing. Usually, models for estimating exposure of a population rely on a (standardized) simplification of the noise emission and propagation. Mapping is simplified by considering only the equivalent noise level since it removes all temporal information from the source prediction, the propagation, but unfortunately also from the impact assessment. Yet, it is known that noise events can play an important role in, e.g., sleep disturbance and temporal information are essential in the evaluation of outdoor soundscapes. Models for calculating spectro-temporal levels with a one-second resolution have been proposed, but these quickly become too slow for large scale exposure assessment. Here, a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on environmental characteristics is proposed as a fast alternative. The CNN-model is trained on thousands of detailed physical simulations with varying propagation conditions and traffic intensities on the surrounding roads. To increase the understanding of this machine learning model, Shapley values are used. They show the importance of different features in calculating indicators, e.g., loud events are mainly explained by close-by traffic, L50 by high intensity roads, also at larger distances.

Effect of Soundscape on Place Attachment for Historical Blocks: A Case Study of Harbin, China

Sound is a memory carrier in places with rich history and culture, which can invoke place memories and images. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of soundscape on place attachment in different types of historical blocks. Six historical blocks in Harbin, China, were selected, and a questionnaire survey was conducted to evaluate place attachment and soundscape. The soundscape evaluations of harmony, quietness and nature were significantly higher in residential historical blocks than in tourism historical blocks. The mechanical sound source preference of residential historical blocks was lower than that of tourism historical blocks. The main components of place attachment were place bonding and identity, and place dependence, but in different orders in different types of historical blocks. In tourism historical blocks, the preference of sound source helps to enhance place attachment, especially the sounds of activities and equipment related to the history and culture of the blocks. Soundscapes promote place attachment in tourism historical blocks and are positively correlated with place satisfaction. There was no significant correlation between soundscape and place attachment in the residential historical blocks surveyed.

A Perceptual Structure of Soundscapes in Urban Public Spaces Using Semantic Coding Based on the Grounded Theory.

The definition of 'soundscape' emphasises the perceptual construct of sounds; thus, the mechanism of sound perceptions becomes vital for soundscape evaluations. Using a qualitative approach, this study explored the aspects and processes of sound perceptions and built a perceptual soundscape structure from the insight of sociology. The interview was conducted between January and March 2018, in four urban public spaces. Data reached saturation after 23 participants were interviewed based on the grounded theory approach. Four perceptual aspects of sounds were identified from the semantic coding analysis: sound classification, sound features, psychological reactions, and soundscape preferences. These aspects form a three-level process of perceiving soundscapes: sound classifications, sound appraisals (including sound features and psychological reactions), and finally, judgment (soundscape preferences). Overall, four aspects categorised into three levels of perception make up the soundscape structure. Soundscape preferences are at the most profound level of perception and are informed by the previous three aspects. Soundscape preferences are expressed through descriptive words and narrative 'image'. The 'image' reflects people participating in different activities according to their social background. Social relationships influence soundscape preferences through people's sound requirements for various activities. The perceptual structure of soundscapes may provide guidance for future soundscape research and soundscape questionnaire design.

Mobile App for Soundscape evaluation for the Spanish speaking community validated through principal component analysis

Soundscapes represents the way in which people perceive and experiment the sounds of a particular acoustic environment. In this paper we explain the procedure carried up to develop a Mobile App for the evaluation of soundscapes in the case of Spanish speakers and its validation through principal component analysis. The application (called “SSEBOG”) was implemented for android devices, and it is based on the ISO 12913-2 standard. The application allows geolocation, audio recording, image capture, feedback to users and data processing. A pilot test over a group of 56 persons evaluating the same acoustic environment was carried up with the App. The results of the principal component analysis indicate that the translations propose are consistent with the circular pattern model for the classification of the soundscapes frequently used for English speakers, however, the results suggest that the meaning of the diagonals in the circular pattern model does not correspond to a simple translation to Spanish.

Influence of Environmental Sensitivity on Soundscape Evaluation in Urban Open Public Spaces

Urban open public spaces play a vital role in contemporary cities, and the quality of the soundscape in these environments affects people's psychological and physiological restoration. Previous soundscape research has shown that environmental sensitivity is a crucial factor affecting psychological responses to the acoustic environment, but many of these findings are restricted to the interpretation of "negative" dimensions' variance of evaluations. In this experiment, we examined the effects of individuals' different aspects of environmental sensitivities such as vulnerability sensitivity (noise sensitivity, etc.) and vantage sensitivity (aesthetic sensitivity, etc.) on soundscape evaluation through experiencing audio-visual environments of various urban open public in laboratory. The participants, 20-45-year-old college students and staffs with normal hearing (N=30), experienced ten common urban open space scenarios (parks, plazas, pedestrian streets) for at least 10 minutes each, and finished the questionnaire which consisted of two parts: items from the Soundscape Quality Protocol and the Environmental Sensitivity Survey includes Weinstein's Noise Sensitivity (WNS) Scale and Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) Scale. The results show that people with high noise sensitivity tended to overestimate the "negative" dimensions of soundscape evaluations, whereas people with high aesthetic sensitivity tended to overestimate the "positive" dimensions. These environmental sensitivities were found to be statistically independent. In other words, environmental sensitivity affects the soundscape evaluation significantly in urban open public spaces. This suggests that attention should be paid to the diverse needs of different people, in policy-making and urban planning.

Combining mobile measurements on noise and soundscape evaluation in a University Campus after a renovation plan.

This paper contributes on the popular topic of smartphone-based noise mapping and in general participatory sensing. It has a dual aim as on one hand it provides a methodological framework on the spatio-temporal variability of noise and soundscape and in parallel, it investigates the role of green space and water features on soundscape preference with respect to certain activities. The study was organised in Zernike University Campus in Groningen, the Netherlands around 13 predefined locations, equipped with seating facilities. A big part of the study area was recently redesigned as part of the Zernike promenade. Students, enrolled in the course of Environment and Engineering, used the ArcGIS 123 Survey and the NoiseCapture mobile applications for soundscape and noise data collection respectively. Statistical analysis and GIS tools were used to investigate the noise and soundscape variability in different time periods from morning to evening. Additionally, the effect of green space and water features on soundscape quality and users' preference is identified by exploring the links with activities related to socializing and relaxing. The contribution of the above-mentioned technologies in participatory planning and urban design interventions is discussed parallel to the educational benefit of these tools in the achievement of the course learning objectives.

Comparison of Soundscape Evaluation in Forest-Type and Urban-Type Han Chinese Buddhist Temples

Soundscapes are one of the main means of creating a religious atmosphere in Han Chinese Buddhist temples, which are the most important religious sites in China. This paper selected several representative forest-type and urban-type Han Chinese Buddhist temples and employed a questionnaire and sound level measurement methods to conduct a comparative analysis of four aspects of acoustic environment evaluation, i.e., quietness, comfort, harmony, and sound preference, to identify and compare the characteristics of respondents’ soundscape evaluation in these two types of temples. The results showed that compared with urban-type temples, respondents found the acoustic environment in forest-type temples to be quieter, more comfortable and more harmonious with the religious atmosphere. The sound level, measured with the questionnaire and respondents’ social characteristics, such as age, occupation, level of education, purpose and frequency of visiting the temples, and attitude towards Buddhist thought, influenced their soundscape evaluation of urban-type and forest-type temples to different degrees. Among the various kinds of sounds in the temple, natural sounds, such as the sounds of flowing water, birds and insects, and rustling leaves, were preferred in forest-type temples, while Buddhism-related human-made sounds, including chanting and background music, were preferred in urban-type temples.

Assessment of soundscapes using self-report and physiological measures

Soundscape studies evaluate the subjective and objective qualities of an environment and attempt to develop a holistic view of the interplay between the acoustic scene and the listener’s experience. Descriptors are used to express the perception of the acoustic environment, while further subjective and quantitative measures are used as indicators that represent features of the acoustic environment. The relationships between descriptors and indicators for a particular soundscape study are often identified by developing linear statistical models. This work describes an experiment to assess heart rate measures, including ultra short term heart rate variability, within the context of the predictor descriptor framework of a soundscape study. The aim of this work is to provide evidence in support of the psychophysiological basis of measures of affect in soundscape evaluation. In this study 15 participants evaluated a randomly ordered set of 8 soundscape recordings in a repeated measures directed listening experiment. Subjective evaluation of the soundscapes was performed using the self-assessment manikin and a sound classification survey. Participants’ heart rate was measured throughout the experiment with a Polar H10 ECG heart rate monitor. Statistically significant relationships were identified between indicators and descriptors that reflect results present in the literature. However, there were no significant interactions between heart rate measures and self-reported affect or classification scores. Future studies should focus on improving the selection of stimuli and the experiment methodology to boost the sensitivity of the experiment in light of small effect sizes.

Effect of Visual Landscape Factors in Old Neighbourhoods on Soundscape Evaluation

Effect of Visual Landscape Factors in Old Neighbourhoods on Soundscape Evaluation

The Effects of Spatial Characteristics and Visual and Smell Environments on the Soundscape of Waterfront Space in Mountainous Cities

The soundscape of waterfront space in mountainous cities (WSMC) can affect people’s physical and mental health. Taking seven WSMCs in Chongqing, China, as the study area, this study aimed to investigate the soundscape and explore the influence of spatial characteristics and visual and smell environments on the soundscape of WSMCs through a sensewalking approach. The results show that the soundscape evaluations of WSMCs are of poor quality, and traffic sounds are dominant (33%). Among spatial characteristics, the position relative to the road (including vertical and horizontal distances) had a greater impact than other spatial indicators on soundscape evaluations. Elevation was positively correlated with the A-weighted equivalent sound level (LAeq) and negatively correlated with the soundscape comfort degree (SCD). In terms of visual elements, the proportions of paved ground, pedestrians, and buildings had negative effects on the soundscape, while those of the sky, water, and natural terrain had positive effects. High visual and smell environment quality can enhance soundscape evaluations, although the smell environment had a greater impact on the SCD than the visual environment in WSMCs. Finally, this study summarizes the recommended values of spatial characteristics and visual and smell environment indicators to put forward references for the soundscape design of WSMCs.

What Constitutes the High-Quality Soundscape in Human Habitats? Utilizing a Random Forest Model to Explore Soundscape and Its Geospatial Factors Behind.

Soundscape is the production of sounds and the acoustic environment, and it emphasizes peoples' perceiving and experiencing process in the context. To this end, this paper focuses on the Pearl River Delta in China, and implements an empirical study based on the soundscape evaluation data from the Participatory Soundscape Sensing (PSS) system, and the geospatial data from multiple sources. The optimal variable set with 24 features are successfully used to establish a random forest model to predict the soundscape comfort of a new site (F1 = 0.61). Results show that the acoustic factors are most important to successfully classify soundscape comfort (averaged relative importance of 17.45), subsequently ranking by built environment elements (11.28), temporal factors (9.59), and demographic factors (9.14), while landscape index (8.60) and land cover type (7.71) seem to have unclear importance. Furthermore, the partial dependence analysis provides the answers about the appropriate threshold or category of various variables to quantitatively or qualitatively specify the necessary management and control metrics for maintaining soundscape quality. These findings suggest that mainstreaming the soundscape in the coupled natural-human systems and clarifying the mechanisms between soundscape perception and geospatial factors can be beneficial to create a high-quality soundscape in human habitats.