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Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 38673

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Giovanni Zambon

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Guest Editor

UNIMIB · Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
Interests: soundscape in urban and natural areas; eco-acoustics; soundscape in marine habitats; noise mapping
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Roberto Benocci

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Guest Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims at bringing together researchers of different disciplines in order to provide a multidisciplinary overview on how different sounds contribute to shape the environment and how their perception influences the behaviors of humans and animals.

The agglomeration of people and sound sources is a major cause of urban noise, which has become the soundtrack of daily life and has harmful effects on the health and wellness of inhabitants. Thus, over the years, sound has mainly been considered epidemiologically as “noise”, and most environmental policies have focused on noise control and reduction. Unfortunately, reducing sound levels does not necessarily lead to improved quality of life in urban and rural areas. This is why the soundscape approach to the management of acoustic environments has become increasingly important, as it focuses on how people and animals actually perceive and experience their acoustic environments. This approach has also shown to be useful in protecting natural (green and wild) areas, as well as sea life, which is even more exposed to noise pollution.

The perception of the soundscape and the responses and outcomes are highly dependent on the context and relevant contextual factors, not limited only to the acoustic features. Thus, soundscape combines physical, social, and psychological approaches to the characterization, management, and design of natural and urban sound environments. Soundscape research involves not only physical measures but also the cooperation of human and social sciences to account for the diversity of soundscapes across countries and cultures, and it considers environmental sounds as a “resource” that is able to mask unwanted sounds, rather than a “waste”.

Studies have shown that noise is a “perceptual barrier” for the use of environment, similar to physical obstacles in the urban context. Given this importance of sound as part of the environment experience, scientists have sought to develop strategies to research and influence the relationship between urbanites and their soundscapes: on one hand to minimize the potential negative effects of sound on urban life, and on the other hand to maximize the opportunities for enjoyment or relaxation that urban sound offers. What public space users hear and how they evaluate it in relation to their performed or intended activities can influence users’ engagement with their spaces, as well as their assessment of the suitability of public space for their needs or expectations.

Studies in eco-acoustics and marine acoustics will also become important cognitive and decision-making tools for the sustainability of our environment and wildlife conservation.

This Special Issue is an invitation to encourage governmental organizations to include the complexity of urban and natural soundscape into the current regulatory system and to consider it as a guideline for sustainable urban planning and the creation of sustainable environments.

Prof. Giovanni Zambon
Dr. Roberto Benocci
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Soundscape
Eco-Acoustics
Marine Acoustics
Sustainable urban and environmental planning

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 7173 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soundscape Optimization Strategies Based on Landscape Elements in Urban Parks: A Case Study of Greenlake Park in Kunming

by Lili Tian, Daniel Winterbottom and Juanjuan Liu

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10155; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su151310155 - 26 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1260

Abstract

The soundscape quality of urban parks can influence the mental and physical health of park visitors. This paper proposes strategies for optimizing soundscape quality by correlating the physical parameters to the human perception. The data has been gathered through a case study of Greenlake Park located in Kunming, China. The objective physical acoustic indexes and the subjective soundscape perception were analyzed using a combination of GIS spatial statistical analysis from 1224 pieces of environmental sound pressure level data and questionnaire data of human perception collected through soundwalks. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Compared with water bodies, lands perform better in absorbing and reducing the environmental sound pressure level with a decrease of 2.0 dB every 15 m in the terrestrial landscape of rich plant layers and high degree of enclosure, compared to a decrease of 1.5 dB every 15 m in the water landscape with lotus leaves, cruise ships or structures; (2) Sound pressure level and types of sound sources profoundly affect our soundscape perception. Acoustic environment evaluation, soundscape suitability, visual preferences, pleasure perception and relaxation perception are positively correlated with natural sound perception (p < 0.01), while significantly negatively correlated with sound pressure level, human activity and mechanical sound perception. In the end, the correlation between landscape elements and sound pressure level, sound sources and soundscape perception are discussed, and a soundscape optimization strategy for urban parks supported by research data is proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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16 pages, 4854 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Field Measurements and Human Perception to Remediate Noise Pollution in the Urban Public Parks in Saudi Arabia

by Saleem S. AlSaleem, Abdulbasit Almhafdy, Umberto Berardi, Amal A. Al-Shargabi and Ahmed AbdelMonteleb M. Ali

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9977; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15139977 - 23 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1277

Abstract

The deleterious effects of noise pollution on public health have been well documented, with traffic noise being identified as a significant contributor to stress and adverse impacts on the human body and mind. In this study, sound levels at 12 different points in Al-Oqailat Park in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, were measured using a sound level meter (SLM), with the study’s primary objective being to conduct this measurement. The experimental results were then compared with perception measurements collected from users who frequently visited Al-Oqailat park. Sound measurements were taken in four different zones (A, B, C, and D) during rush hours between 1:30 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. It was found that noise levels at point A1 peaked at 79 dBA at 4:40 p.m., while the lowest level recorded was 41.1 dBA at point D2 at 2:35 p.m. The range of noise levels varied between 79 and 41 dBA, with a rate of decline of 48.10%. Zones A and B seemed to have the highest noise levels during rush hours, since they were located closest to King Fahd Road and Al-Adl Street, while zone D exhibited the lowest noise levels due to its location as a parking lot for Buraydah Court. An intermediate noise level was found in zone C, in the middle of Al-Oqailat park. The people perception results, completed by 84 park visitors, showed that zone A was identified as having exceptionally high noise levels compared to the other zones, with zone D having the lowest levels. These results were consistent with the experimental findings and reflected that the points along King Fahd Road and Al-Adl Street had the highest noise levels. Overall, the research highlighted the dominance of car traffic and horns as the primary sources of noise pollution in and around Al-Oqailat Park, emphasizing the significance of meticulous site selection for parks in urban areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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19 pages, 4317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Perceived Restorative Potential of Urban Parks by Citizens—A Case Study from Wrocław, Poland

by Aleksandra Szkopiecka, Joanna Patrycja Wyrwa, Grzegorz Chrobak, Iga Kołodyńska and Szymon Szewrański

Sustainability 2023, 15(10), 7912; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15107912 - 11 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1468

Abstract

Providing restorative green areas is important, especially in the city, where the level of stress and noise is relatively high. Therefore, green areas, such as urban parks, should provide coherent audio–visual stimuli to achieve positive perception by the residents. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the potential for psychological regeneration in urban parks in terms of visual and soundscape assessment as well as to assess the role of the intensity of different types of sound contributing to the positive perception of the soundscape. In order to achieve this aim, we chose eight urban parks in the city of Wrocław to provide audio and visual stimuli and used a group of young adults as survey respondents. The results show that visual stimuli are perceived as undoubtedly more important than the soundscape, and that talking, footsteps, music, children (playing), birds, and vehicles are the most significant types of sound that contribute to the perception of soundscape depending on the level of intensity of the sound (with children and vehicles being beneficial if they are completely inaudible). We conclude that the quality of the soundscape is essential to improve the restorative potential of urban parks and, in consequence, to improve the well-being and health of the city dwellers, and there is a necessity for strategies and development plans including sensually coherent and inclusive public parks in the city of Wrocław. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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22 pages, 1488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Sound Source Landscape in Urban Forest Park on Alleviating Mental Stress of Visitors: Evidence from Huolu Mountain Forest Park, Guangzhou

by Yanlong Guo, Xuemei Jiang, Linfu Zhang, Han Zhang and Zuoqing Jiang

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15125; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142215125 - 15 Nov 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2319

Abstract

Urban Forest parks are indispensable areas in cities and have ecological and social advantages, and the quality of their acoustic landscapes is an important factor influencing visitors’ visiting experience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the acoustic landscape on psychological stress relief in selected urban forest parks in China. This study used a questionnaire to construct an index system for psychological stress reduction and designed a questionnaire for the perceived impact of stress-reducing acoustic sources with user perception and stress-reducing restoration evaluation as the entry point. The research team conducted field research and online questionnaire survey on the questionnaire.com platform from 1–5 July 2022, in Huolu Mountain Forest Park, an urban forest park in Guangzhou, and collected 266 valid questionnaires. SPSS26.0 was used to analyze the results of the impact of the urban forest park on users’ psychological stress relief. Spearman’s rho correlation analysis and a Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric test were used to reveal the relationship between social, demographic and behavioral factors of tourism and sound source perception, and multiple regression analysis was used to identify the key factors of urban forest park. The results showed that, first, there were significant individual differences and correlations between respondents’ age, education level, visit time and frequency on soundscape perceptions; the older the respondent or the higher the education level, the higher the psychological stress relief evaluation of natural sounds such as birdsong in urban forest parks; the more frequent the visit, the more sensitive the users were to sound source perceptions; and the different visit time periods showed that, when the frequency of the visit was higher, the more sensitive the users were to the sound source. Secondly, natural sounds are important factors for psychological stress relief in soundscape, and natural sounds such as birdsong, cicadas, flowing water, and the sound of breeze blowing leaves have positive benefits and significant contributions to psychological stress relief. Third, the overall restorative evaluation of soundscape perception and the separate evaluation of natural, mechanical, and human-made sounds had significant effects, and the overall restorative evaluation showed that the cumulative contribution value of attractiveness was greater than that of compatibility and consistency. Fourth, soundscape plays a role in psychological stress relief, as evidenced by significant differences in pleasure and arousal levels but not in control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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21 pages, 10204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Method for Assessing the Soundscape in a Marine Artificial Environment

by R. Benocci, E. Asnaghi, A. Bisceglie, S. Lavorano, P. Galli, H. E. Roman and G. Zambon

Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 10359; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141610359 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1146

Abstract

We applied standard acoustic methods to record, analyze and compare anthropogenic and biological signals belonging to the soundscape of artificial marine habitats. The study was conducted on two tanks located at the Acquario di Genova (Italy), the “Red Sea” and the “Tropical Lagoon” tanks, which represent different living environments hosting a variety of species and background sounds. The use of seven eco-acoustic indices, whose time series spanned the entire period of study, allowed the characterization of the environments. We investigated the extent to which eco-acoustic indices might describe the soundscape in an artificial marine environment surrounded by a background of mechanical noise, overlapping the diurnal/nocturnal fish chorusing produced by soniferous species. Three specific types of sounds emerged: (1) mechanical ones produced by the life-support system of the tanks; (2) anthropic origin ones due to maintenance and introduction of food; and (3) temporal trends associated with day/night cycles, especially impacted by artificial lighting. We searched for selected spectral patterns that were correlated to the time series of the eco-acoustic indices. The observed activity was found to be consistent with the sound emission of three specific fish species hosted in the tanks. The power spectral density (PSD) confirmed the presence of correlated signals (at 95th and 99th percentiles) for the identified frequency intervals. We expect that this method could be useful for studying the behavior of aquatic animals without intruding into their habitats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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23 pages, 63051 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acoustic Environment of Urban Historical Places: A Case Study in Kastamonu, Turkey

by Nur Belkayalı and Işıl Kaymaz

Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8423; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13158423 - 28 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2132

Abstract

The general aim of this paper is to demonstrate the significance of the acoustic environment in urban historical places, which represent intangible cultural heritage, and to emphasize the need for the spaces to have their own unique acoustic environment depending on their characteristics. Both sound pressure level measurements and sound classifications were conducted in three urban historical places to emphasize their effect on the character of the area. Based on the data obtained, noise maps were created. The results of the study indicated that there was no change in sound sources due to the similarity of past and present usage types of the three selected historical areas, and that sound sources as an element of cultural heritage in the area were preserved and survived to the present day as a consequence. The type of use, intensity of use, structural-plant density, and climatic change were found to be effective in determining the acoustic environment character. The continuity of sound sources, which are among the elements that constitute the identity in historical places in particular and can be considered as cultural heritage elements, and the harmony of these sound sources for the intended use of the space are the factors that should be taken into account in spatial planning and design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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19 pages, 1864 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eco-Acoustic Assessment of an Urban Park by Statistical Analysis

by Roberto Benocci, H. Eduardo Roman, Alessandro Bisceglie, Fabio Angelini, Giovanni Brambilla and Giovanni Zambon

Sustainability 2021, 13(14), 7857; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13147857 - 14 Jul 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2518

Abstract

We investigated the statistical properties of the sounds recorded at a site located in the Parco Nord of Milan, Italy, characterized by wooded land rich in biodiversity and exposed to different sources and types of anthropogenic disturbances with the aim of deriving information on its environmental quality in terms of biophonic presence and athropic disturbance. A time series of eco-acosutic indices were determined for 616 audio files recorded from 30 April 2019 (5:00 p.m.) to 3 May 2019 (5:00 a.m.) with a 1-min duration followed by a 5-min pause (10 recordings per hour). In the present study, the following indices were computed: the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), Acoustic Diversity Index (ADI), Acoustic Evenness Index (AEI), Bio-acoustic Index (BI), Acoustic Entropy Index (H), Normalized Difference Soundscape Index (NSDI) and Dynamic Spectral Centroid (DSC). Cluster analysis performed on the corresponding time series yielded a dimensional reduction from seven down to three. The results show a clear separation of the eco-acoustic indices into two clusters, reflecting the different dynamics and diversity behaviour throughout the recordings. A post-processing aural survey was also performed, aiming at determining biophonic activities (mainly avian vocalization and other animals), the characteristics of technophonies sources (mainly road traffic noise and airplane fly-overs), human presence (voices and steps) and geophonies (rain and wind). The statistical analysis proved to be a robust tool due to the good matching obtained with the aural survey outcomes. The overall quality of the Parco Nord phonic activity was found to be low. Notwithstanding the presence of avian species, highlighted by the characteristic dawn chorus, both clusters revealed low “scores” of NDSI and DSC indices heavily influenced by road traffic sources. This study represents the first step toward the realization of maps of eco-acoustic indices for the long-term monitoring of fragile habitats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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18 pages, 10998 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soundwalk, Questionnaires and Noise Measurements in a University Campus: A Soundscape Study

by Simona Mancini, Aurora Mascolo, Gabriella Graziuso and Claudio Guarnaccia

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 841; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020841 - 16 Jan 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4502

Abstract

In order to manage noise pollution and reduce its environmental impact and health outcomes, several regulations have been issued in the last few decades, defining acoustic indicators and their thresholds. However, the acoustic environment can be considered a resource, focusing on people’s subjective perception of sounds in accordance with the soundscape approach. The integration of the tools, already applied by the legislation, and the soundscape technique produces a more thorough and comprehensive evaluation of the environmental noise that is necessary for its management. Starting from the best practice of the soundscape in urban planning, this paper presents an application of this approach at the Fisciano campus of the University of Salerno (Italy). The overarching goal is the comparison between the physical parameters, obtained by measuring the sound pressure level, and the psychoacoustic ones, derived by questionnaires given to a group of local experts during a soundwalk. The results will show, for example, some areas characterized by high sound pressure levels and a good perception of the soundscape. As a consequence, the application would seem to have discrepancies between the results of the two methods, but a deeper analysis can reveal further information to the traditional measurements that allow a more accurate knowledge of the acoustic environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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19 pages, 2681 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sound Water Masking to Match a Waterfront Soundscape with the Users’ Expectations: The Case Study of the Seafront in Naples, Italy

by Virginia Puyana-Romero, Luigi Maffei, Giovanni Brambilla and Daniel Nuñez-Solano

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 371; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010371 - 03 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2668

Abstract

In the last decades, the soundscape approach has attracted the attention of architects and urban planners, leading them to incorporate the acoustic features into the enjoyment of their creations. One of the key aspects for an appreciated urban environment is to match the expectations of the users. In this study, the matching of the waterfront soundscape with the users’ expectations is evaluated by laboratory tests using semantic differential scales applied to reproduced virtual scenarios obtained adding different water sound pressure levels (SPLs) to the original in-situ setting. The tests were carried out by an immersive virtual reality (IVR) device, using 360° videos and spatial audio recorded in two sites of the waterfront in Naples, Italy. The scenarios were presented to the participants according to three experimental protocols, namely audio-only (A), video-only (V), and simultaneous audio-video (AV) reproduction. The examined different acoustic scenarios were the original one recorded in situ and others obtained adding seawater sounds at SPL increments of 5 dB. The results show that all the scenarios with water sounds added are rated more pleasant than the original one for the audio-only scenario. When video and audio are displayed simultaneously, two scenarios are more pleasant than the original one, likely because there is a need for coherence between the water sound SPL heard and the visible noise sources. Sounds coherent with the type of shore show a higher matching with expectations and pleasantness appraisals, rather than those that are uncoherent with the layout scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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19 pages, 3299 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Eco-Acoustic Indices to Evaluate Soundscape Degradation Due to Human Intrusion

by Roberto Benocci, Giovanni Brambilla, Alessandro Bisceglie and Giovanni Zambon

Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10455; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su122410455 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2952

Abstract

The characterization of environmental quality and the detection of the first sign of environmental stress, with reference to human intrusion, is currently a very important goal to prevent further environmental degradation, and consequently habitat destruction, in order to take appropriate preservation measures. Besides the traditional field observation and satellite remote sensing, geophonic and/or biophonic sounds have been proposed as potential indicators of terrestrial and aquatic settings’ status. In this work, we analyze a series of short audio-recordings taken in urban parks and bushes characterized by the presence of different human-generated-noise and species abundance. This study aims to propose a tool devoted to the investigation of urban and natural environments in a context with different soundscape qualities, such as, for example, those that can be found in urban parks. The analysis shows the ways in which it is possible to distinguish among different habitats by the use of a combination of different acoustic and sound ecology indices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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20 pages, 3314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

BCNDataset: Description and Analysis of an Annotated Night Urban Leisure Sound Dataset

by Ester Vidaña-Vila, Leticia Duboc, Rosa Ma Alsina-Pagès, Francesc Polls and Harold Vargas

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 8140; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12198140 - 02 Oct 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2587

Abstract

Acoustic pollution has been associated with adverse effects on the health and life expectancy of people, especially when noise exposure happens during the nighttime. With over half of the world population living in urban areas, acoustic pollution is an important concern for city administrators, especially those focused on transportation and leisure noise. Advances in sensor and network technologies made the deployment of Wireless Acoustic Sensor Networks (WASN) possible in cities, which, combined with artificial intelligence (AI), can enable smart services for their citizens. However, the creation of such services often requires structured environmental audio databases to train AI algorithms. This paper reports on an environmental audio dataset of 363 min and 53 s created in a lively area of the Barcelona city center, which targeted traffic and leisure events. This dataset, which is free and publicly available, can provide researchers with real-world acoustic data to help the development and testing of sound monitoring solutions for urban environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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17 pages, 2353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Anthropogenic Noise for Predicting Cinereous Vulture Nest Distribution

by Esther Ortiz-Urbina, Luis Diaz-Balteiro and Carlos Iglesias-Merchan

Sustainability 2020, 12(2), 503; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12020503 - 09 Jan 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3589

Abstract

Natural landscapes are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures, and concern about human impacts on wildlife populations is becoming particularly relevant in the case of natural areas affected by roads. The expansion of road networks is considered among the main factors threatening biodiversity due to their potential for disturbing natural ecosystems on large scales. Indeed, traffic noise pollution reduces the quantity and the quality of natural habitats, and umbrella species are frequently used as indicators of natural ecosystem health. In this sense, there is a variety of GIS-based ecological modeling tools that allow evaluation of the factors that influence species distributions in order to accurately predict habitat selection. In this study, we have combined the use of noise modeling tools and maximum entropy modeling (MaxEnt) to evaluate the relative importance of environmental variables for Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) nesting habitat selection within a mountainous forest in Spain. As a result, we found that spatial negative influence of roads on wildlife due to road traffic disturbance may have been traditionally overestimated when it has been inferred from distance measurements of wildlife behavior in road surroundings instead of from considering road traffic noise level exposure. In addition, we found a potential risk threshold for cinereous vulture breeding around roads, which ties in with a Leq_24h level of 40 dB(A). This may be a useful indicator for assessing the potential impact of human activities on an umbrella species such as, for instance, the cinereous vulture, whose breeding does not take place where road traffic Leq_24h levels are higher than 40 dB(A). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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Review

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30 pages, 1141 KiB

Open AccessReview

Audiovisual Bimodal and Interactive Effects for Soundscape Design of the Indoor Environments: A Systematic Review

by Yoshimi Hasegawa and Siu-Kit Lau

Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 339; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13010339 - 01 Jan 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3205

Abstract

A growing number of soundscape studies involving audiovisual factors have been conducted; however, their bimodal and interactive effects on indoor soundscape evaluations have not yet been thoroughly reviewed. The overarching goal of this systematic review was to develop the framework for designing sustainable indoor soundscapes by focusing on audiovisual factors and relations. A search for individual studies was conducted through three databases and search engines: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Based on the qualitative reviews of the selected thirty papers, a framework of indoor soundscape evaluation concerning visual and audiovisual indicators was proposed. Overall, the greenery factor was the most important visual variable, followed by the water features and moderating noise annoyance perceived by occupants in given indoor environments. The presence of visual information and sound-source visibility would moderate perceived noise annoyance and influence other audio-related perceptions. Furthermore, sound sources would impact multiple perceptual responses (audio, visual, cognitive, and emotional perceptions) related to the overall soundscape experiences when certain visual factors are interactively involved. The proposed framework highlights the potential use of the bimodality and interactivity of the audiovisual factors for designing indoor sound environments in more effective ways. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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20 pages, 2318 KiB

Open AccessReview

Smartphone-Based Participatory Soundscape Mapping for a More Sustainable Acoustic Environment

by Giovanni Brambilla and Francesca Pedrielli

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7899; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12197899 - 24 Sep 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4496

Abstract

The urban environmental planning, a fundamental dynamic process for cities’ sustainability, could benefit from the soundscape approach, dealing with the perception of the acoustic environment in which sound is considered as a resource rather than a waste (noise). Noise and soundscape maps are useful tools for planning mitigation actions and for communication with citizens. Both mappings can benefit from crowdsourcing and participatory sound monitoring that has been made possible due to the large use of internet connections and mobile devices with dedicated apps. This paper is a “scoping review” to provide an overview of the potential, benefits, and drawbacks of participatory noise monitoring in noise and soundscape mapping applications, while also referring to metrological aspects. Gathering perceptual data on soundscapes by using digital questionnaires will likely be more commonly used than printed questionnaires; thus, the main differences between the experimental protocols concern the measurement of acoustic data. The authors propose to classify experimental protocols for in-field soundscape surveys into three types (GUIDE, MONITOR, and SMART) to be selected according to the survey’s objectives and the territorial extension. The main future developments are expected to be related to progress in smartphone hardware and software, to the growth of social networks data analysis, as well as to the implementation of machine learning techniques. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soundscape: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Environmental Sustainability)

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